


Fall From Space

by Mattecat



Category: Lego City Adventures (Cartoon)
Genre: M/M, Post-Season/Series 01, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:07:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24108736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mattecat/pseuds/Mattecat
Summary: Tippy Dorman tries to adapt to life after his fall from grace, but when his sister contacts him after nearly a decade of no communication, he's left wondering what the future will look like. Harl, as always, is there to help.Spoilers for the LCA season 1 finale.
Relationships: Tippy Dorman/Harl Hubbs
Comments: 9
Kudos: 40





	1. Tippy Dorman

**Author's Note:**

> THIS FIC IS COMPLETE. IM POSTING THE CHAPTERS EVERY SUNDAY UNTIL IT'S DONE. IM NOT STARTING A NEW CHAPTERED FIC AND THEN NOT UPDATING IT FOR MONTHS/YEARS THIS TIME I ALREADY WROTE THE WHOLE THING IT'S DONE I SWEAR TO GOD
> 
> anyway.
> 
> hi, welcome to my lego city adventures fic, I have tippy brain rot. thanks for reading.

"You could've at least cleaned up after yourselves!" Tippy snapped. "Look at this mess!"

He picked a doorman's uniform off the floor to fold quickly and move on to the next. It looked as if the entire contents of his closet were strewn about the room, and he didn't try to suppress a groan when he realized his bookshelves had been gone through, too. He threw a glare at the two people his stepfather had insisted on sending as an escort, as if he needed to be watched over like a child.

The man and woman glanced at each other. "Sorry," said Betty, flashing an awkward smile. "It wasn't us who did this, it was Fendrich's new hires. You know we wouldn't have left your place like this, Tippy."

"Let us help," said Hank, and he put his hacksaw aside and picked up one of the red uniforms. Tippy watched as he struggled to fold it, then sighed and snatched it out of his hands.

"I might as well do it myself," he said. "I need to change out of these prison clothes, anyhow. Though it's a wonder if I'll ever be allowed to resume my duties as a noble doorman…"

He sat down on his bed, clutching the uniform to his chest. Betty shook her head and shoved Hank out of the way to sit next to Tippy.

"Honestly?" she said. "Don't worry about it. Speaking as a crook myself, your first offense isn't enough to brand you a criminal for life."

"Unless it's, like, _super_ bad," Hank added, sitting on Tippy's other side. "Like sabotaging a Mars mission and trying to take over the world."

Tippy groaned and slumped over. Betty rubbed his back. "Look," she said, "the city's full of forgiving folks, and no one got hurt. Go get some fresh clothes and go to sleep."

"Why should I?"

"'Cause," Hank said, "you're a good kid, your family loves you, and you look like, really tired, dude."

Tippy didn't respond.

"We've gotta head out," Betty said after a long moment. "Take care of yourself, kid."

"I'm twenty-seven," Tippy grumbled.

"Eh. You'll always be the kid Fendrich had us babysit. See you later, Tippy."

She stood up. After giving Tippy a hard pat on the back, Hank joined her. Tippy lifted his head up just enough to watch them go. Betty paused at the door and looked back.

"Love you, Tippy," she said, and left.

Tippy exhaled and stood up. He might as well get dressed for bed.

The prison clothes went straight into the trash. Dressed in a comfortable shirt and pants, Tippy felt a little better, though he still desperately needed a shower. He washed his face and considered that enough for the time being. Once his apartment was picked up, he got in bed and closed his eyes.

After a minute, he rolled over and pressed the pillow over his head.

It took a few minutes longer to identify the problem.

Tippy had spent the last few months in space, accompanied by at least one other person at all times. Every time he closed his eyes, he expected to hear soft breathing next to him, wanted to feel a presence with him. He was back on Earth, in a city with millions of people, and he yet he was so utterly alone.

A police siren blared outside, fading into the distance. Tippy groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for sleep to come.

* * *

After he was chosen for the Mars mission, Tippy had set up a leave of absence with his job. After he sabotaged the Mars mission and nearly destroyed the city in his attempt at world domination, he expected to be fired. Surprisingly, he was not. There was a voicemail on his phone informing him that his leave of absence had been extended for another month, but he was not fired. Tippy almost wanted to quit, but he decided to wait the month and see how he felt then.

In the meantime, he would lock himself in his apartment and be miserable.

At least, that was the plan, except he had little food left in his apartment. Tippy sighed, staring into his empty refrigerator. He had some dry, stale cereal for breakfast, got dressed in a fresh uniform, and set out for the grocery store.

He did his best to ignore the people whispering to each other when he left the building, pretended not to see how they crossed the street to avoid him. He was just getting groceries, he told himself. He could face the shame of his tarnished reputation for just one short trip. The good news was, no one was trying to talk to him –

"Hey, Tippy!"

He flinched. The police car screeched to a halt and the officer inside lowered his sunglasses to grin at him. Tippy took a deep breath.

"Hello, Duke," he said.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to arrest you." Duke pushed his sunglasses back up, paused, then took them off. "I just wanted to let you know that I talked with the judge and some other people – don't know who they were, but they definitely looked official – and your prison sentence is considered over, so don't worry about those six hours, alright?"

Tippy frowned. "So for sabotaging the first manned mission to Mars and trying to take over the world, I got… two hours of prison time."

Duke shrugged. "Eh, we all agreed you had been through enough, what with like, every criminal in the city coming after you. Plus, the video feeds showed you were broken out against your will, so, y'know, it wasn't like you wanted to get in more trouble."

"You're… not wrong." Tippy felt the passersby's eyes on him. "Is that all? I was on my way to the grocery store, so –"

"Oh, cool! Want a lift?"

"With your driving? I –" Tippy thought about walking the rest of the way to the grocery store while everyone pointed at him and whispered. "– well, I don't want to impose, but if you're offering…"

"No problem!" Duke leaned over and popped the passenger's door open. "Hop in!"

He barely waited for Tippy to climb in before slamming on the gas. Tippy yelped and grabbed his seatbelt. "We're not being chased! Is this really necessary?!"

"What?" Duke took a sharp turn and nearly flung Tippy into the window. "Buckle up!"

They made it to the grocery store in one piece. "I'll be right here to drive you back," Duke said while Tippy forced air in and out of his lungs. "Unless I'm needed somewhere else, in which case you'll have to walk. Sorry!"

Tippy pressed a hand over his racing heart and managed to collect himself enough to speak. "Not a problem," he said. "Thank you for your help yesterday."

"Hey, don't mention it. That's my job, y'know?"

"Well, I'm going to get groceries." Tippy opened the door and got out. "See you around, Duke."

Duke waved as he entered the grocery store. Moments later, Tippy heard police sirens and Duke yelling over the speakers. He sighed. He supposed he'd be walking home.

* * *

He bought his groceries without incident. When he carried the bags in front of him, he could barely see people staring at him, though he knew they were. He could also barely see anything else.

"Hello, person I can't see behind all those groceries! Do you need help!"

Tippy stumbled and fell to the ground, spilling his groceries everywhere. "Oh no!" the man said, jumping off his cart and running over. "Are you alright? I – oh."

Harl stopped in front of him. Tippy stared at the beat-up shoes of the man who had foiled his plans, then groaned and let his face fall on the pavement.

A hand tapped his shoulder. "Uh… Tippy?" Harl said. "You probably shouldn't keep lying there. Here, I'll help pick these up."

Tippy didn't move. He heard Harl's movements as he picked up the groceries and put them back in their bags, chatting all the while. "Some of the eggs are cracked," he said, "but I have some tape in my cart. Uh, I think your vegetables are ok… you're not hurt, are you? You're not saying anything."

"I'm surprised you're willing to give me the time of day," Tippy said.

"What? Why wouldn't I?"

Tippy raised his head to look at him. "Because I tried to take over the world," he said dryly, "and almost destroyed the city in the process."

"Yeah," Harl said, "but I stopped you, and no one got hurt, so it's okay! Do you need help getting back up?"

Tippy got to his feet himself and brushed off his uniform. "Where are my bags?" he asked, looking around.

"I put them on my cart," Harl said, pointing at them precariously balanced on top. "Can I give you a ride to your apartment?"

Tippy sighed. "I suppose so," he said. "Do you know where it is?"

"Nope!"

Tippy gave him the address and they set off. Harl didn't pay much attention to the people they passed on the street, which Tippy thought was odd – wasn't it his mission to help as many people as possible, whether they wanted it or not? Maybe he thought stopping Tippy was enough help for a lifetime. Tippy sighed and stared at the back of Harl's head.

"You alright?" Harl said midway through the ride. "You're awfully quiet."

"I'm fine, Harl," Tippy said. "As fine as I can be, anyhow."

"Yeah," Harl said, and didn't press the matter. They went over a bump in the road and Tippy heard something clatter on the pavement. Hopefully it wasn't any of his groceries.

* * *

Somehow, the sun was setting. Tippy hadn't been aware of the time when he left his apartment, but when Duke picked him up, it must've already been late afternoon. He expected Harl to drop him off and leave and was prepared to take the groceries from him.

"Nope!" Harl said, pulling the bags away. "I'll carry these in for you!"

"Really?" Tippy said. "Why?"

"I want to help!"

Tippy sighed. "Very well then," he said. "After you."

He opened the door with a flourish. Harl giggled and walked in. "You've still got it!" he said. "That must feel good, right?"

Tippy frowned. "Did you think I had… lost it?"

"Haha! I'm not going to answer that question!"

Harl walked into the building and headed for the elevator. Tippy shook his head and followed.

At his apartment, Tippy unlocked the door and let himself and Harl in. "You can put the groceries on the counter," he said, pointing. "Thank you for your help."

Harl put the bags down, and Tippy started taking out the groceries to put away. When Harl moved to help, Tippy raised a hand to stop him. "You don't have to stay for this part," he said. "In fact, I'd rather you leave as soon as possible."

"Oh," Harl said. "Well, to be honest… I didn't just come in to help you, Tippy."

Tippy froze in the middle of putting bread in the freezer. "What other reason did you have?" he said, slowly turning to look at him.

Harl shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "We need to talk," he said. "About… a lot of things."

"We could," Tippy said, "or we could never speak of anything that happened on that space mission ever again."

"I don't think that would be very helpful."

"It would certainly help me get out of this situation."

Harl opened his mouth, then hesitated. Tippy put the bread away and slammed the freezer door shut. "Harl," he said, "I would like you to leave."

"No!" Harl said, then blinked, as if surprised by the force in his own voice. "We need to talk," he continued, "and I'm not leaving until we do."

Tippy stared at him. Harl set his jaw and stared right back.

"Fine," Tippy said. "Take a seat."

They sat across from each other at the table. It was still covered in dust – TIppy made a mental note to wipe it down later, once Harl was gone. The other man bit his lip and traced lines on the table, tapping his foot.

"It's hard dealing with gravity again," he finally said. "I keep dropping things, 'cause I forget they're gonna fall. Do you have that problem?"

"I feel the weight of the world," Tippy said. "It's impossible for me to forget, even for a moment."

"That sounds tough."

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?"

Harl looked up and met his eyes. "I miss you," he said.

Tippy's face flushed and he struggled to find a response. "It's natural," he said, trying to keep his cool. "We were each other's only company for so long. I'm not surprised we're… missing that."

A grin spread across Harl's face. "So you feel the same way?"

"I didn't say that."

The grin vanished. "Oh."

Tippy tapped his fingers on the table. "I didn't not say it, either," he said carefully. "It depends on how you feel."

"Oh!" Harl jumped to his feet. "I like you," he said. "I like you a lot, actually!" He continued babbling as Tippy slowly stood up. "I've always thought you were cool, and you had a nice voice, and you were, uh, attractive, and you were right, we shouldn't have talked about this, I'm going to run away forever now!"

Tippy got to the door just in time to block his progress. Harl changed direction and went for the window. "Harl!" Tippy shouted, and grabbed the back of his shirt just before he dove through. "I live on the fourth story, Harl!"

"I know how to fall!" Harl said. "I used to do parkour! I only broke seven bones!"

Tippy pulled him back and sat him back down at the table, pulling his own chair next to him. "You like me," he said. "After everything I did to you?"

"Well, yeah," Harl said. "It wasn't all bad, you know. And then I locked you in the back of the spaceship and you got sent to prison for two hours, so I think we're even."

"That's not –" Tippy pinched the bridge of his nose. "Is that why you said you were going to seduce me to get the code on day eighteen?"

Harl's face reddened. "Well, I chickened out, so –"

"I thought you were joking. Were you?"

"Sort of? I didn't think I'd be very good at seducing. Were you counting the days?"

"Until we arrived on Earth so I could lead all of humanity into Paradoors? Yes."

Harl frowned. "And if you did that…"

"This isn't about me," Tippy said firmly. "This is about you having a crush on me. Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" Harl tilted his head. "I told you why."

"I could understand it before I revealed my plans to take over the world," Tippy said, "but now? After everything that's happened? Why would you want to be around me?"

"I think you're a nice person," Harl said. "Deep down, I mean. You were nice to me when we were on the spaceship."

Tippy snorted. "I wasn't trying to be."

"Were you?"

"I'm sorry, Harl," Tippy said, "but I believe you need more time to think this over, and I cannot return your feelings at this moment. Now, it's getting late, and I want to sleep. Goodnight, Harl." Never mind that he wasn't tired, having woken up so late.

Harl didn't move. "Well?" Tippy said.

"I don't want to sleep alone," Harl blurted out. "I'm all alone in my apartment, and I didn't get any sleep last night, and I'm really tired, and – and –"

He should say no. Harl was clearly not in the right frame of mind. Instead, Tippy gestured to the couch. "Just for tonight," he said. "I'll get you some blankets."

Harl started snoring soon after the lights were off. Tippy stared at him through the darkness, then sighed and pulled the covers over his head.

* * *

He woke up to the smell of something burning.

Tippy lay there trying to process what his senses were telling him, then forced himself to sit up. "Harl?" he called out, the events of last night coming back to him. "Are you trying to cook?"

"Just being helpful!" Harl called back. "No need to call the fire department!"

Tippy slid out of bed and took a moment to note that he slept in his clothes. Oh well. He stood up and went to the kitchen to investigate what Harl was doing and judge for himself whether anyone needed to be called.

Harl was cooking something in a pan. It smelled somewhat like bacon but decidedly did not look the part. Tippy stared at him, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "I'm not letting you eat that," he said.

"That's okay, I made it for you!"

Tippy shook his head. "This is awfully forward considering I rejected you."

Harl looked back with a frown. "Does that mean we can't be friends?"

"Do friends cook for each other?"

"Are they not supposed to?"

The unidentified meat caught fire. Harl yelled and jumped back. "Ah! Water!"

Tippy grabbed his arm. "No water! It's a grease fire – I'll take care of it."

He grabbed the lid and carefully inched it over the pan. After a moment, he took it away, and the fire was gone. Belatedly, he turned off the stove. "I'm having cereal," he said, moving the pan to the sink. "You're welcome to have some, too."

Harl looked sadly at the still-smoking remains. "Okay…"

They had cereal. Tippy turned on the TV, only to turn it back off when he realized they were recapping the Mars mission. Harl didn't comment. "Do you have a radio?" he asked. "There's a station I listen to in the morning that I think you might like!"

"I don't really listen to the radio," Tippy said. "I prefer choosing the music I listen to."

"Huh. Okay! I should probably check the traffic today, though. I'm gonna go get the radio from my cart."

Harl drank the milk out of his bowl and put it in the sink. Tippy got up and opened the door for him. "Are you coming back afterwards?" he asked.

"If you'll let me!" Harl said brightly. "I have to go out soon and see if anyone needs my help, but I still have time before then."

"Very well. I'll unlock the door for you when you get back."

"Okay!"

Harl left. Tippy waited by the door for half a minute before deciding he couldn't wait at the door for the entire time. What did he normally do in the morning? He sat down at his computer and checked his email; the messages had really piled up during the months he'd been away. He started at the beginning and went through them one by one.

He was still working when Harl knocked. "Just a moment!" Tippy said, standing up and nearly tripping over himself in his haste to get the door. "Sorry, Harl," he said as he opened it. "I got distracted. It won't happen again."

Harl giggled. "You take your job really seriously!" he said, walking in with the radio. "But you don't need to be so serious, you're not working right now!"

"A doorman's duties are never-ending," Tippy said. "If you're going to play that in here, please keep the volume down."

While Harl listened to the radio, Tippy went back to the emails. Most of them were spam or corporate promotions, and he deleted them with barely another glance. One of them, though, was from an address he didn't recognize. He frowned and opened it.

He closed it as soon as he read the first line.

"Tippy, you okay?"

Tippy took a deep breath and looked back at Harl, who had turned the radio off. "You don't look too good," he said. "Did you read something upsetting online? That happens to me all the time."

"Not… exactly," Tippy croaked. "My sister…"

"Oh no! Did something happen to her?"

"No, it's just…" Tippy looked back at his screen. "I haven't spoken to her in years, and while I going to Mars, she… emailed me."

"Oh no!" Harl frowned. "Wait, isn't that a good thing?"

"I don't know. I haven't read the email."

"Do you need help?"

Tippy shook his head. "I don't think you can help me with this, Harl."

"Sure I can!" Harl dragged a chair over and grinned at him. "I can read it for you and tell you what it says! Unless it's something mean, then I'll just say it's mean and you don't have to know what it is."

Tippy sighed and turned the screen towards him. "Okay!" Harl chirped. "Let's see… her name is Evelyn? That's a pretty name!"

"Please, no live commentary."

"Oh, okay."

Harl read the email in silence. Tippy could feel his heart pounding. After all these years, Evelyn had reached out to him. He had barely been an adult when she stopped all communications. Almost ten years – what was she like now? What made her reach out? There had been no contact when he had been chosen for the Mars mission, though Tippy knew that had been broadcasted far and wide.

"Okay," Harl said. "This all looks good, I think?"

Tippy swallowed hard. "What did she say?"

"Well, first she said she wanted to congratulate you on getting on the Mars mission, until, uh, she found out you sabotaged it. But I don't think she's mad? She wrote all this other stuff, too!"

"Like what?"

"That your uncle's doing well, and that she wants to meet up and have lunch, because, uh, some things are better talked about in person. She left her phone number, too! She said you could call her whenever, 'cause you might be in jail for a while, but you're out, now, so you should probably do it soon."

Tippy's hands were shaking. Evelyn wanted to see him again. He could still remember the last time they spoke, just a short goodbye and an awkward hug before she got on the bus. It had been a shock when she cut off contact with him and their uncle. Why? She never explained.

Why did she want to see him now, after all this time?

"Don't worry!" Harl said, taking out his phone. "I can help!"

"Harl, if you call my sister, so help me –"

"Hi, Evelyn! I'm Tippy's friend, Harl Hubbs!"

Tippy tackled him.

After a minor skirmish, Tippy pinned Harl beneath him, pressed his face against the floor, and wrenched the phone out of his grip with his free hand. "I am _so_ sorry," he said, putting the phone to his ear. "I tried to tell him not to, but –"

"Tippy? Is that you?"

Tippy went stiff. He cleared his throat and managed to speak. "Yes, Evelyn, it is."

"Can you get off me?" Harl said, his voice muffled by the carpet.

He could hear Evelyn laugh on the other end of the line. "It's good to know you have friends," she said. "You were pretty isolated when we were kids. You got my email, huh? How are you doing?"

"I, uh…" Tippy released Harl's head to pick at his collar. "I'm doing as well as I can be," he decided on saying. "How are you?"

"Fine, fine," Evelyn said. "But I'd rather talk about the details face to face. Does tomorrow work for our lunch? You're not on house arrest or anything, are you?"

"No, I… I can do tomorrow. Did you have a place in mind?"

"I haven't been down in a long time. Your choice."

"How about the diner?" Harl said. "It's pretty nice!"

"The diner sounds good," Tippy said. "It's, uh, I can… email you the address?"

"Text me instead, that way I'll have your number instead of your friend's."

"Right, of course. I'll… see you then?"

"See you then, Tippy. I look forward to it."

She hung up.

Tippy sat on top of Harl for a few moments longer, still holding the phone to his face. Harl squirmed underneath him. "Uh, Tippy? I want my phone back."

Once Harl was freed and his phone was returned, he stood up and flashed a smile at Tippy. "I'd love to help some more," he said, "but I need to go see if anyone else needs my help. Can I come back tonight?"

Tippy sighed. "We can't do this forever," he said. "We should get used to spending time apart."

"Oh, I know," said Harl, "but I had a really good night's sleep late night, and the night before I barely slept at all, so maybe we can ease into it. One more night couldn't hurt, right?"

"I suppose not. I'll need to be well-rested for Evelyn, anyhow."

"Great!" Harl picked up his radio and waved. "See you tonight, Tippy!"

He left. Tippy sat back down at his computer and began clicking through emails again. Tomorrow would come sooner rather than later, but he had the rest of today to emotionally prepare for the lunch.

* * *

"Hi, Duke!" Harl said, waving to the police officer as he walked to his cart. "Do you need anything? I'm about to leave, but I have time to help!"

"Oh," Duke said. "I was actually about to give you a ticket for illegal cart-parking."

Harl's shoulders sagged. "Oh, whoops…"

Duke looked at him and handed him the ticket. "Just a warning for today," he said, "but you need a permit to park here overnight. You live above the car wash, right? Why were you here?"

"I was visiting Tippy," Harl said. "Just for the night. Sorry, I forgot about the permit…"

Duke raised an eyebrow. "You spent the night with Tippy?"

"On his couch, yeah." Harl laughed nervously. "I gave him a ride home from the grocery store, and then it was late, and also I can't sleep alone anymore."

"Huh," Duke said. "Well, that's good. That you were with him, I mean. I was going to check on him, but it looks like you did that for me."

"You wanted to check on him? Why?"

"Just to see how he's holding up, y'know?" Duke shrugged. "And also make sure there aren't any more criminals after him, 'cause _wow,_ I do _not_ envy him after the other day."

Harl nodded. "Yeah, that must've been tough for him. But he's doing good! Uh, for future reference, where can I park overnight?"

"Oh, there's a garage just down the street. It should have a bike rack. Why do you ask?"

"No reason!" Harl hopped on his cart. "Bye, Duke!"

He set his music playing and rode away. Duke watched him go, then shrugged and got back in his car. It was good that Harl didn't have any hard feelings towards Tippy, he supposed – though it was difficult to imagine Harl having hard feelings towards anyone. He chuckled to himself and resumed his patrol.


	2. Evelyn Sinclair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome tooooo another week and another chapter! have fun!

Tippy spent the day reading in his apartment and waiting for Harl to come back. The book was some detective story he had bought on a whim and not liked enough to finish the first time he read it, and returning to it now, he could see why. Still, it was enough entertainment to keep him occupied for an hour or two, and then he had that much less time to kill.

Harl was gone for eight hours. Tippy soon ran out of things to do. He finished the book and two others, stared at the television for a while, and was clearing out his emails when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. His keen doorman intuition told him it was Harl, and he opened the door for him just as the other man was raising his hand to knock.

"Oh! Hi, Tippy!" Harl grinned. "You're pretty good at this!"

"Of course I am," Tippy said. "What's that you have?"

"This?" Harl held up his bag. "Half a sandwich. I was gonna have it for dinner so I'm not eating your food all the time."

"That's quite thoughtful of you." Tippy's stomach growled, and he realized he forgot to have lunch. "I was just about to make myself something to eat. You're welcome to join me, if you'd like."

"Okay!"

Tippy put together a simple pasta dish and sat down with Harl, who spoke through bites of sandwich about all the people he had helped today. Even after they finished their food, Tippy found himself listening to Harl's voice with a smile, only half understanding the words.

Eventually, Harl retired to the couch. Tippy stayed up a little longer, browsing the internet before he went to sleep himself.

* * *

"Tippy?"

Tippy groaned and rolled over in bed.

"Tippy, you need to wake up!"

"Go away, Harl," he mumbled.

"C'mon, Tippy! It's already eleven!"

He opened his eyes and blinked up at the other man. "Eleven… what?"

"Eleven AM! You were going to lunch today!"

Harl grabbed his shoulder and sat him upright. "Eleven?" Tippy repeated. "I thought my alarm was set for six…"

"Your alarm isn't on! You're going to be late!"

Tippy slowly processed the situation, his eyes widening. "It's eleven," he said in horror, "and I have to meet my sister in half an hour. Oh, no, oh no –"

"Do you want me to call your sister and tell her you're on your way?" Harl already had his phone out. Tippy put his hand over his before he could hit call.

"No, Harl, I'll text her." He sighed. "It's better if she hears it from me. Give me a moment, I'm going to get dressed."

He opened up his email to double-check the phone number and found himself reading his sister's words for the first time. True to Harl's word, she didn't sound mad, though one could wonder what her emotions were when she typed it. His eyes fell on her signature. Evelyn –

"Sinclair?!" he yelped.

"What?" Harl said.

Tippy could only point wordlessly at the email's signature. "Oh," Harl said. "Yeah, her last name's not Dorman, so I guess she must have married or –"

"Her name was never Dorman – but it didn't use to be Sinclair!" Tippy read the email over and over again, not believing his eyes. "I know Mary Sinclair had a son, but I didn't think – did she marry _him?_ "

Harl furrowed his brow. "Is it bad if she did?"

"Harl, R. E. Fendrich is our stepfather. We're part of the Fendrich family. They've been rivals with the Sinclairs for generations – why would Evelyn marry one of them?!" There was no mention of a husband in Evelyn's email. "There's no way Fendrich knows. Is this why she cut off contact?"

"You can ask her," Harl suggested. "I mean, you're gonna see her in half an hour. Or, uh, whenever you get to the diner. Do you want a ride?"

Tippy tore his eyes away from the computer. "If you're offering," he said. "I'd rather ride with you than Duke Detain, that's for sure."

"Why, 'cause if you're riding with him it means you're going to jail?"

"No, because he's an atrocious driver." Tippy stood up. "I have to get dressed. Late or not, I can't go see my sister in my sleepwear."

Harl tilted his head. "Those are pajamas? They look the same as your regular clothes."

"What? Don't be ridiculous, they're obviously different."

Harl shrugged. "If you say so, Tippy."

* * *

When they got to the diner, Harl offered to come in with him, but Tippy declined. "This is a private meeting between Evelyn and me," he said. "As private as it can be inside a public diner."

"Oh," Harl said. "Okay, I understand. I'll see you tonight, Tippy!"

He waved and rode off, his cheery song playing as he narrowly avoided a car. Tippy turned to the diner entrance.

"You can do this," he said to himself. "Evelyn wants to see you. You want to see her. All you have to do is open the door."

And so he did.

The waitress at the front looked him over with a frown. Tippy swallowed and willed himself to speak. "I'm, ah, joining someone for lunch," he said. "Name should be under Evelyn…?"

"Right," she said. "Come with me."

At the table was a woman with shoulder-length black hair dressed in a simple blouse and jeans, reading a book. Tippy cleared his throat as the waitress led him to her. "Evelyn?"

She looked up. "Tippy!" she said with a smile, putting the book down. "It's been a long time – here, give me a hug."

Tippy could only stand there as Evelyn hugged him. He was acutely aware of all the other people in the diner – were they looking at him? Had they heard his name? He could almost hear the whispers as they realized who he was, and he didn't hug Evelyn back.

"I already got our drinks," Evelyn said once they were sitting. "Just water, I don't know if you like anything else."

"Water is fine," Tippy said. "Sorry I'm late. You said… some things were better discussed in person?"

"Getting right into it, huh?" Evelyn chuckled and took a sip from her glass. "It's been a while, hasn't it? I guess I could start, since I already know what you've been up to."

Tippy nodded, his face red. "You got married, didn't you? Your surname…"

"Yeah, I hadn't planned to tell you over email, but I forgot to delete my signature." Evelyn smiled. "Bill Sinclair. I haven't told our stepfather yet, and honestly, I don't plan on it. Are you still speaking to him?"

"To Fendrich? Yes."

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Of course!" Tippy said. "He's our family!"

"Has he stopped treating you like garbage?"

"He doesn't…" Tippy hesitated. "He treats everyone like that."

"Doesn't make it okay." Evelyn sighed. "Just don't tell him I was here, alright? I came to see you, Tippy, not Fendrich."

"If you wish." Tippy managed a smile. "It means a lot to me, that you wanted to reconnect. Assuming that's what this is."

"You're an uncle now, by the way."

"I'm a _what?_ " Tippy blurted out.

Evelyn laughed. "Two kids! We're expecting a third, too."

"You're _pregnant?!_ "

"It's still the first trimester, so we haven't told anyone else yet. Do you want to see your niece and nephew?"

Evelyn took out her tablet without waiting for an answer and placed it between them. Tippy leaned over to see a picture of two black-haired kids sitting together and smiling at the camera. "This is Mason," she said, pointing to the older boy. "He's turning eight soon, his birthday's in two weeks. Alice is six, and her birthday's in winter."

"Alice," Tippy echoed. "After our…?"

"Named after Mom, yeah." Evelyn swiped to a picture of the kids at the beach, with Evelyn standing in the water. "Bill took this one," she said. "Let's see if I can find one with him in it. Oh, here we go!"

The picture was of a man with light hair sitting in a chair, Alice and Mason sitting on his lap. They were reading a children's book together, both kids looking at the pages with wide eyes. Thinking of Mary Sinclair, Tippy could see some resemblance in him. "I'm surprised neither of them inherited his hair," he said. "They both look like us."

"Yeah," Evelyn said, "I was surprised, too. I guess our genes are pretty strong. I think Mason has his dad's eyes, though."

"Do they know about me?"

"I haven't told the kids they have an uncle yet, no. Bill knows, though." Evelyn averted her gaze. "And after the stunt you pulled, it was difficult to convince him to let me come down here."

"I… see." Tippy looked down at the menu, all the food items blurring together.

"Talk to me, Tippy," Evelyn said. "Why did you do it?"

Tippy couldn't look at her. "I thought…" he started, then cleared his throat and tried again. "I thought I had to. When I saw the Mars door, it felt like… like this was what my life had been leading up to. So I… I made sure I would be chosen for the mission, and… did what I had to do."

Evelyn sighed. "Start at the beginning. How did you find out about the Mars door?"

"It was… six, seven years ago, when we got more images of the surface. We saw the door, and the prophecy clearly stated –"

"Back up. Who's 'we?' Do you mean the cult you were in?"

"The _what?_ "

Evelyn waved her hand. "The forums you were on. The Open Doors Society. Are they the ones who had the prophecy?"

Tippy was gripping the menu so hard his knuckles were white. "How did you know…?"

He trailed off. The waitress coughed.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said when they looked up at her, "but are you ready to order?"

Tippy forced himself to breathe. "I think I need a little more time," he said.

"Okay! I'll come back in a few, then."

The waitress left. Evelyn frowned. "You're not still connected to them, are you?" she said. "Was this their idea?"

"No, the Open Doors Society banned me from their forums five years ago."

"Well, that's good, at least."

"No it's not!" Tippy said, louder than intended. He lowered his voice and continued. "They banned me because I was the only one with the courage to put their principles into practice," he said. "They called themselves doormen, but they refused to believe that the prophecy was upon us."

"Tippy, they were a cult," Evelyn said. "When I looked them up, I found dozens of articles warning people about them. They preyed on young adults in vulnerable positions, like you after our mom died. How much money did they get from you?"

"That doesn't matter –"

"It does matter!" Evelyn hissed. "Tippy, they probably banned you because no one was actually supposed to act on what they said. They didn't think you would actually be able to go to Mars and get that rock."

TIppy shook his head. "They weren't a cult –"

"They absolutely were a cult! If you don't believe me, look it up yourself! Half their leaders are on government watchlists!"

"They weren't a cult because they were right!" Tippy snapped. "Not about everything, but about how the world works, and how things should be! Their leaders may have been misguided, but what they taught was true!"

"You can't possibly believe that," Evelyn said. "I would understand it ten years ago, maybe, but you're an adult now! I know you're a good man, Tippy, but…"

Tippy grit his teeth. "But what, Evelyn?"

"But I don't think I trust you around my family."

Tippy opened his mouth, but no words came out. Evelyn sighed. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when we were younger," she said. "I'm the older sibling. I should've taken responsibility. But we're not kids anymore, Tippy. It's been over ten years since Mom died, and I've moved on. I don't think you have."

"This isn't about our mother," Tippy managed to say.

"Then what is it about?"

"You haven't let me explain myself. Do you think –"

"Frankly, I think you're delusional, and if you're not willing to face any criticism of your beliefs, I'm not willing to listen to them." Evelyn stood up. "I should go."

"What?"

"You have my contact information. You're free to reach out if you're willing to change." Evelyn took out her wallet and placed a ten dollar bill on the table. "Here – I'll treat you to lunch, at least."

Tippy stood up with her. "You can't just leave!" he said. "I know you can understand! You have to let me make you understand!"

He grabbed her arm. Evelyn pulled it out of his grip.

"I love you, Tippy," she said, "but you need help, and I have my own family to think about."

"Am I not your family?" Tippy felt tears in his eyes. "Evelyn, please –"

"I'm sorry," she said. "Goodbye."

She walked past him to the door. Tippy watched her go, and realized most of the diner was staring at him. He took a deep breath, adjusted his collar, and sat back down. His eyes fell on the ten dollar bill; was that how much Evelyn thought their relationship was worth? A mere ten dollars?

His vision blurred until he couldn't see anything through his tears.

* * *

Evelyn waited until she got on the bus to make the phonecall, to the dismay of her fellow passengers. "Hey, Bill, it's me."

"Eve! I was worried about you! Did you change your mind?"

"No. I talked to him. How are Alice and Mason?"

"They're fine, dear. What happened?"

Evelyn sighed. "I don't think he's going to be part of our lives, Bill. At least, not any time soon." Her voice shook. She took a breath and continued. "I feel like he's not self aware. He still got all this cult programming, and I can't be the one to get him out of it."

"Oh." She could hear Bill's breathing. "I'm sorry, Evelyn. I know he means a lot to you."

"I sort of expected this. The time to help him was years ago, before I left home and married you." Evelyn leaned back in her seat. "Are you still with your mom? I can meet you there."

"Of course. I'll let her know."

"Thanks, Bill. Love you."

"I love you too, Eve."

A few people exited the bus at the next stop. Evelyn could've sworn she saw one of them staring at her, but then they were gone.

* * *

"Hey, big daddy!"

The balding man winced at the exclamation and jerked his head up to glare at the young woman who entered the room. "Never call me that again," he said. "What are you doing in my office? I could've been in the middle of an important meeting! Also, I banned you from the tower months ago!"

Daisy grinned and sprawled out in the chair across from his desk. "Aw, c'mon, Fendrich! We're buddies, right? You hire me, I blow something up, I get paid! It benefits us both!"

"Well, I don't need anything blown up right now, so if you could get out without me calling security –"

"Don't you want to know who I saw today?"

Fendrich rolled his eyes. "Fine! Hit me. Who did you see?"

"You have to guess."

"No I don't."

Daisy laughed. "Fine, fine. Your stepdaughter, Evelyn!"

Fendrich's mouth fell open and he squeaked something unintelligible. A grin spread across Daisy's face. "Yeah, I couldn't believe it either! Just spotted her on the bus! Seems like forever ago when I last saw her. But that's not all the information I have."

"Tell me!"

"You're going to love this. I looked up Evelyn Freeman and found out she got married! Guess what her name is now!"

"What?!"

"Evelyn Sinclair!"

Fendrich's face turned bright red, which was a delight to see. Daisy couldn't keep the grin off her face as she waited for him to blow up. She wasn't disappointed.

" _Sinclair?!_ " Fendrich roared, slamming his fists on the desk. "She married _Sinclair's son?_ After everything the Fendrich family has done for her!"

"I know!" Daisy said. "Isn't it wild? That's all the information I have, though. Gotta blast!"

"Wait!"

Daisy stopped at the door. "What is it?"

Fendrich took a deep breath. "I need more information," he said. "I want you to find her, speak to her, find out what she's up to."

"Uh, that's not really my forte," Daisy said. "Besides, if she's a Sinclair now, she might not want anything to do with you."

"That's why I'm not speaking to her myself! But you knew her before she left, right? Maybe she'd be willing to reconnect!"

Daisy sucked in air through her teeth. "Honestly, this sounds like more Tippy's kind of deal. I'm sure he'd like to see his sister again, right?"

Fendrich coughed. "Tippy's no longer good for gathering intel," he said. "I'm going to need to find someone else. You'll do for now."

"Uh…"

"Now get out before I call security. Your very existence in this building presents a fire hazard."

Daisy snorted. "Alright, whatever."

She headed to the elevator, waving to the security guards as she did. So she was supposed to reconnect with Evelyn, huh? Alright. She could probably find a way to do that.

First things first, though – she had to find out what Evelyn was doing here.

* * *

"Sir, I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave."

Tippy raised his head up just enough to glare at the waitress. "I'm a paying customer," he said, holding up the ten dollar bill.

"You would be," she said, "except you haven't ordered anything, and you've been here for five hours. Please leave before I call the police."

"Fine." Tippy stood up and left, leaving the money behind.

There was a park nearby, where he sat on a bench and stared off into space. The sun was still high in the sky, and even in the shade, it was uncomfortably warm. Tippy watched the people go by, noticing how they kept their distance from him. He groaned and buried his face in his hands.

He didn't know how long he stayed like that before a hand tapped his shoulder. "Uh, Tippy? You alright?"

"Go away, Duke," he said.

"Y'know," Duke said, "before you were revealed to be a master criminal, you always called me Lieutenant Detain. Now we're on a first name basis. What changed? Apart from the whole Mars mission thing."

Tippy shook his head. "My sister doesn't want me to be part of her family," he said.

"You have a sister?"

"Not anymore, apparently."

"Oh. Sorry to hear it. Wait, what does that have to do with my name?"

"It's not about you, Duke!"

Duke sat on the bench next to him. Tippy glared at him through his fingers. "If it wasn't abundantly clear," he said, "I want to be alone right now."

"Not sure that's a good idea," Duke said. "Sorry to keep barging into your personal life like this, but out of all the criminals I've caught, you're the only one who hasn't gone back to crime, so I don't get to see you otherwise – and I try to get to know everyone I catch."

Tippy lowered his hands. "Really."

"Really! I want to stop crime, not just throw people in jail." Duke leaned back and stared at the sky. "So I try to get to know people, figure out what their motivations are, see if I can't give them another option, y'know?"

Tippy cracked a smile. "I think you're in the wrong profession. Perhaps you should go into counseling."

"Nah, counselors don't get to do cool stunts. Besides –" He paused for a fraction of a second, just long enough for Tippy to notice. "– I like my job."

"I'm sure you do," Tippy said. "Now can you leave me alone?"

"Well, you see, the park closes at five, and I'm technically supposed to get everyone out of here before then." Duke sighed. "I'd really hate for you to go back to jail over this."

"Since when do parks close?"

"New ordinance. I think. There's been a lot of them lately. Apparently the city's gotten bad PR since the Mars mission."

Tippy put his hands back over his face.

"…I'll drive you back to your apartment."

* * *

Harl was standing outside his apartment door when Tippy exited the elevator. "Hi!" Harl said brightly. "You were out a really long time – does that mean your lunch went well?"

"Why are you just standing there?" Tippy asked.

"Oh! 'Cause I don't have a key."

"Right. Let me get that for you."

He unlocked the door to let Harl in, and after a moment's thought, went to the closet. "Here," he said, "catch."

Harl caught the key and nearly dropped it. "Huh?"

"It's my spare key. If you're going to be spending the nights here, you might as well have one."

"Oh," Harl said. "This is… how did you put it? Forward."

"What?"

Harl laughed. "I thought you rejected me! Right? Now we're basically roommates! You should spend the night at my place, next!"

Tippy just shook his head. "Please don't get the wrong idea, Harl," he said. "This is temporary. It ends as soon as we get used to sleeping alone again. Until then, you can have a key."

"Okay," said Harl. "So how did your lunch go?"

Tippy sat on the couch. "Somewhere out there," he said, "there's a utopia waiting for us. They spoke of it in such vivid language. A place where traversing the boundary of life and death is as easy as opening a door. When we were kids, I told Evelyn one day we'd see our mother again. Now that I'm older…" He ran a hand over his face. "It's impossible to say what Paradoors would've been like, but I had hoped, at least, I would have my family there with me."

Harl shifted from side to side. "Can't that happen now?" he said. "In this world? I know it's not perfect, but you have your family…"

Tippy opened his mouth to answer, but all that came out was a sob. He heard Harl gasp as he broke down in tears, crumpling forward and covering his face. He barely registered the cushions shifting as Harl sat next to him, could hardly feel the other man's arms around him. Even then, even there, he felt alone in the knowledge that no one, truly, understood him.


	3. Harl Hubbs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another sunday, another chapter. Have Fun

Tippy was not going to leave half a dozen voicemails in Evelyn's inbox at two in the morning.

Maybe if he kept telling himself that, the urge would go away.

Harl was asleep, quietly snoring on the couch. Tippy had tried to go to bed, but after sleeping in so late, he just wasn't tired. So he browsed his computer, flipped through some of his books, and sat at the kitchen table staring at his phone. He typed Evelyn's number in, closed it out, typed it in again, accidentally hit call, and hung up immediately, his heart pounding.

Well. Now she would know he called. It wouldn't matter if he called again.

He left one voicemail that was mostly him trying not to cry loud enough to wake Harl up. The next voicemail, he stumbled through an explanation of what the Open Doors Society actually was, but he wasn't sure how intelligible it was, so he tried a third time.

In the middle of the fourth voicemail, he heard movement behind him. "Tippy, why aren't you asleep?"

Tippy ended the call and twisted around in his seat. "Oh, Harl. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

Harl stood in the entrance to the kitchen and yawned. "What are you doing?" he asked. "It sounded like you were crying."

"It was nothing important. Go back to sleep."

"Only if you promise to sleep, too."

"I thought great accomplishments could be made with by people who only got four hours of sleep. Or something. Whatever you said."

"I know, but I've been so tired lately. I think being in space messed with my circadian rhythm."

Tippy turned back to his phone. "I'm surprised you know what a circadian rhythm is."

"I'm not stupid," Harl said. "I'm naive, gullible, and too helpful for my own good, but I'm not _stupid._ "

Tippy looked back and blinked. "Who told you those things?"

"You did."

"I… don't think I worded it quite like that."

Harl turned away. "I'll go sleep."

"Wait, Harl…" Tippy put his phone down and stood up, crossing the room in a few long steps to sit with Harl on the couch. "I'm sorry," he said. "I really am. I shouldn't have said those things, regardless of how I worded them."

Harl twisted his hands together and looked away. "They're true, though," he said. "I… when you sabotaged the Mars mission, I learned a lot about myself. Part of what let you get so far was because I was really easy to fool, and then I got stuck in space. I don't want to be like that anymore."

"You being on the Mars mission was the reason I was stopped. If you hadn't been there…" Tippy thought about Paradoors and seeing his mother and decided not to continue that train of thought.

"Still," Harl said, "I don't like the way I am. I'm going to try and be different, I just… don't know where to start."

"Start by –" Tippy covered his mouth and yawned. "– getting some rest. Maybe I should sleep, too."

Harl nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Goodnight, Tippy."

Tippy lay down in his bed and waited for Harl to start snoring again before getting back up and going to his computer. Turning the brightness all the way down, he navigated to the search bar and slowly typed in "Open Doors Society."

A number of results popped up. Tippy took a deep breath and clicked on the first one.

* * *

"Good morning, Tippy. You're up early!"

Tippy started. "Harl! You're awake!"

"Yep!" Harl got off the couch and stretched. "I'm surprised you're awake, after you were up so late last night," he said. "What are you doing?"

"Just checking my email, first thing in the morning!" Tippy quickly exited out of the browser. "I definitely didn't stay up all night!"

"That's good," said Harl. "Uh, about what I said last night, about wanting to change…"

Tippy felt a prickle of guilt and turned his chair around. "Right," he said. "What about it?"

"Can you help me?"

"Help you?" Tippy said. "Help you how?"

"I mean, it looks like you're pretty good at fooling people and not getting fooled yourself. I can't really do either of those things." Harl picked at his shirt collar. "People say things to me and I just… believe them. I thought you could help me be a little more skeptical? Or at least know when people are lying to me."

"I was lying about not staying up all night," Tippy said.

"You were? See, I'm so bad at this!"

"To know when someone is lying to you, you have to pay attention to little details that prove what they're saying is false." Tippy crossed his arms. "Looking at me, what details can you see that indicate I did, in fact, stay up all night?"

Harl squinted at him. Tippy tapped his foot and suppressed a yawn.

"You look tired," Harl finally said.

"I am very tired, yes," Tippy said.

"Why didn't you sleep?"

"Don't change the subject. When someone tells you something, you should be on the lookout for those indicators. You may not be aware what to look for, so you have to train yourself to be aware of everything."

Harl rubbed the back of his neck. "That sounds hard."

Tippy smiled. "I won't lie, it might take a while, but it will get easier with time. Think about it while you do your rounds today."

"Actually, I was going to stay here."

"What?" Tippy stopped smiling. "Why?"

"After yesterday, I don't really want to leave you alone," Harl admitted. "And especially now that you've stayed up all night. But it's okay! You can take a nap, and I'll… do something. Maybe there's something here I can help you with?"

"Nonsense, Harl." Tippy forced himself to stand despite the exhaustion he felt. "If you don't want to leave me alone, I'll come with you. Might do me good to get outside, anyhow."

Harl didn't look convinced. "Are you sure? Don't you want to sleep?"

"I can manage a few more hours. Maybe this will be what gets me to stop staying up so late, ha!" Tippy smiled. "Besides, I can help you with noticing those little details. It'll be good practice."

Harl slowly nodded. "Okay," he said. "If you're sure."

* * *

"Hi, Shirley! Do you need any help?"

The garbage collector looked up and narrowed her eyes. "Is that Tippy?"

"Hello," said Tippy, barely fitting behind Harl on the seat. 

"Tippy's helping me help all of you today!" Harl said brightly. He hopped off the cart and started rummaging through the precariously stacked items on the back. While Tippy watched, he grabbed a hammer, dropped it, and glanced up before spotting it down on the ground. "Oh, whoops. Forgot about gravity."

Shirley raised an eyebrow. "If you say so, Harl."

Harl laughed off the comment. "Is your garbage truck alright?" he asked. "I know I gave it a new seat last time – do I need to replace it yet?"

"Nah," Shirley said, "seat's good. Rest of the truck's fine, too."

"Are you sure?" Harl squinted at her. "It looks a little dirty. Do you want us to clean it?"

"Harl, it's a garbage truck," Tippy said. "It's going to get dirty no matter what."

Shirley met his eyes for a moment and smirked. "Actually," she said, "it could use a wash. I was gonna have that done later, but Harl, if you _and Tippy_ want to take care of it…"

Harl spoke before Tippy could prepare a snappy remark. "Of course!" he said. "We're always happy to help!"

Tippy bit his tongue and helped Harl get the buckets off the high reaches of the cart. "Do I really have to clean it with you?" he asked, handing them down.

"Yep!" Harl pulled out a fire hose. "You said you would come with me, right? What are you gonna do, just sit there and watch me do all the hard work?"

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Don't worry! I know you're tired, but physical labor always helps me stay up!"

Harl dragged the hose over to a nearby fire hydrant. Tippy glanced at Shirley and was amused to see her smirk fade as she realized she was about to get "Harl'd."

"Uh," she said, "are you sure that hose is the right tool for the job?"

"Positive!" Harl chirped. "Alright, just got to…"

He picked the nozzle up and aimed it. The force of the water that burst out knocked him over. Tippy allowed himself a moment to chuckle, then ran to help him up.

* * *

"Tippy, you've been scrubbing that spot for five minutes. Are you okay?"

Tippy shook his head. "I'm fine," he said to Harl, putting the sponge down and carrying the bucket to the next section of truck. "Just a little tired."

"I guess so," Harl said. "But don't worry, we're almost done! If you want to go back and sleep after this, that'd be fine with me."

Tippy frowned, rubbing his chin. "You know," he said, "some of this paint looks a little faded. Why don't you run and ask Shirley if she'd like a new paint job?"

"Okay!" Harl darted around the truck and across the street where Shirley stood watching. Tippy watched him go, leaning against the truck. He could feel the water soaking through the back of his shirt, but he had already gotten splashed a few times, there was no point in trying to keep dry now. He closed his eyes for a moment, and –

"Tippy?" Harl said from right next to him.

Tippy snapped himself awake. "Yes?" he said, brushing himself off. "What is it?"

Harl held out a paint bucket. "Shirley said we can paint it!" he said. "I was hoping you could get the tall parts. You still okay to keep helping?"

Tippy smiled. "Of course," he said. "What design were you thinking of painting?"

"Huh? I was just gonna touch up what's already on it."

"Wouldn't it help Shirley more to make her garbage truck stand out?"

Harl's eyes widened. "You're right! We should make it something amazing! Did you have any ideas?"

"A few." Tippy looked up at the sun to try and wake himself up. It hurt his eyes and didn't help. "Come on, let's get started."

* * *

"Well," Shirley said, examining her garbage truck, "it's definitely… clean. And painted. And, uh… thank you, Harl, for talking Tippy out of painting doors on it."

The truck was painted in bright, bold colors, red and purple and gold. After some discussion, Harl and Tippy had decided to go with a simple pattern of horizontal stripes, with Shirley's name painted over it in white. Harl grinned. "You're welcome!" he chirped. "I think we have to go home now, because Tippy didn't sleep last night, and he just passed out on that random person's lawn."

They both looked at Tippy, who was indeed asleep, curled up on the grass and using his hat as a pillow. His doorman's uniform was still damp and covered in splotches of paint; good thing he had other, identical uniforms back at his apartment. Harl watched him with a smile until Shirley cleared her throat and he snapped his attention back to her.

"So," she said, "you and him are…?"

"We're friends," Harl said. "Y'know, I'm really glad he came with me today. I think he'll like this world a lot more if he gets to know the people in it, and helping them's the best way to do that!"

Shirley raised an eyebrow. "He's not trying to do that world domination thing anymore, is he?"

"Oh, no, of course not!"

"You sure? I like you, Harl, but you can be a little too…" Shirley motioned towards Tippy. "…trusting."

The smile slid off Harl's face. "I know," he said. "I'm… I'm working on it. I won't let him trick me again, alright?"

Shirley nodded. "That's good. Sorry, didn't mean to make you feel bad, it's just good to be careful, y'know?"

Harl squinted at her. He didn't see any little details, but what would she be lying about, anyway? "Yeah," he said. "I know that now."

After saying goodbye to Shirley, Harl went and crouched in the grass by Tippy. "Hey," he said, nudging the other man's shoulder. "Wake up."

Tippy blinked his eyes open. "I'm awake," he croaked, sitting up. "Where are we going?"

"Back to your apartment. You need to sleep."

"I can stay awake for a few more hours…" Tippy rubbed his eyes. "Let's go… help someone else…"

Harl helped Tippy to his feet and half-carried him back to the cart. "Hang onto me, okay?" he said as they both got on. "I don't want you falling off before we get back."

Tippy wrapped his arms around Harl's chest and pressed his face into the back of his head. Harl flushed. He hoped Shirley wasn't watching. He decided not to check and started pedaling.

He soon realized he would have to either leave his cart where he might get a ticket, or carry Tippy all the way to his apartment from the parking garage. Harl considered his options.

"Hey, Tippy," he said. "How do you feel about going to my place?"

Tippy didn't respond. Harl was pretty sure he was drooling into his hair.

"Gross," he said. "Well, my place is closer, and I've already spent three nights on your couch. I want to sleep in my own bed again. Uh, I don't have a couch, you're gonna have to sleep on the floor. But it's okay! I have an air mattress!"

He continued babbling throughout the rest of the ride, Tippy fast asleep behind him.

* * *

"You're going to crack one of these days!" Harl said, but there was no malice behind it. "We have a few more weeks until we reach Earth – I know I'll get you to tell me the code before then!"

Tippy laughed. "Really?" he said, floating upside-down in the spaceship – at least, upside-down relative to Harl, who was sticking to the side with his magnetic shoes. It didn't make much of a difference in zero gravity. "You've tried so many ways to get it out of me! Surely you've run out of ideas by now."

Harl's ears turned red. "Well, I haven't tried all my ideas…"

"Hit me, then. How will you try and get the code today?"

Harl laughed nervously, "I could seduce you for it."

Tippy's cheeks burned. "That's hardly appropriate!" he managed to say, knowing how flustered he must look. Harl laughed again and moved closer.

Wait, that wasn't how it went.

On the spacecraft, Harl had backed away and laughed it off before changing the subject. Tippy hadn't pressed the issue, and they hadn't spoken of it again. Tippy realized he was dreaming, but was only half-aware of the fact – not enough to change the course of his dream.

Harl reached for Tippy and cupped the back of his head in his hand. Tippy gasped at the touch. "We can't do this," he protested as Harl moved them closer. "I can't…"

To his dismay, Harl took the hand away. Their faces were so close. "If you don't want to, we won't," he said. "I'm happy being friends, Tippy. I don't want to lose that."

Tippy could feel Harl's breath on his face. "But…?"

"But nothing! You're the one who rejected me." Harl smiled. "But if you wanted to…"

"Oh," Tippy said, and he smiled back. "I see. How about I give you the first letter?"

"So it's a letter, not a number, huh?" Harl bumped Tippy's forehead with his own. "Is it… A?"

Tippy chuckled. "Try and guess," he said, taking Harl's hand, twining their fingers together. "What's the one thing I care about, more than anything else in the world?"

Harl pulled him down from the ceiling and moved his head closer. "I have some ideas," he whispered, moments before their lips met.

* * *

"Tippy?"

He could still feel the word on his lips. Tippy groaned and sat up. "Harl?" he said, blinking his eyes open. "What time is it?"

"Seven fifty," Harl said. "AM, I mean. Were you having a bad dream?"

Tippy thought back to the dream and felt his face heat up. "Not particularly," he said carefully. "Why do you ask?"

Harl shrugged. "You kept saying 'door' over and over again. I thought you were having some sort of nightmare where you were being chased through a bunch of doors."

"What?" He could only imagine how red his face was. "Why on Earth would I have a nightmare about doors?"

"I don't know, but the worst nightmares are always about the things you love."

"That's…" Tippy finally realized he wasn't in his bed. "Wait, where am I?"

He looked around. The room he was in was filled with various tools, from wrenches to rakes to baseball bats, and while it looked like chaos at first, each item had its place on shelves and racks, and the only thing taking up floorspace was the air mattress Tippy was on. He was placed between a real bed, which Harl was sitting on, and a desk with scattered papers and pencils.

"Oh," Harl said. "My apartment was closer. Sorry."

"You brought me to your apartment without asking?"

"I'm sorry! You said you wanted to keep helping, but then you fell asleep on the ride, and it seemed like the best idea at the time…" Harl gave him an embarrassed smile. "We can go back now."

Tippy sighed. "We may as well have breakfast first," he said. "I'm not in a rush. What do you have to eat?"

"Oh! I have frozen pancakes. Do you like pancakes? They're chocolate chip!"

While Harl prepared the pancakes in the kitchen, Tippy stood up and grimaced at the state of his clothes. "I don't suppose you have anything I can wear," he said, picking at the dried paint. "I didn't think I would need to bring another change of clothes with me."

"I have a bunch of spare clothes in case someone needs them," Harl said. "Check the box in the closet. They're all sorts of sizes, I bet some of them will fit you!"

Tippy nodded and opened the closet door. Sifting through the box, he didn't find much in his size, and was eventually forced to pick a black t-shirt with a video game logo on it and a pair of jeans. "Where can I get changed?" he asked.

"Just shut the bedroom door, I won't come in."

He did so and changed quickly. The jeans were a little big around the waist, so he fished a belt out of the box before he slid it back into the closet. When he emerged, Harl was fetching the pancakes from the toaster and putting two on each plate. "Syrup's on the table," he said, looking up. "Oh, you look nice!"

Tippy raised an eyebrow. "I would say I barely look presentable. I'm not one to dress in casual wear."

"Yeah, I can tell. Your arms are super pale 'cause you always wear long sleeves."

Tippy reflexively crossed his arms over his chest. Harl laughed and put the plates on the table. "It's fine," he said. "C'mon, let's eat."

The pancakes were very sweet. Tippy watched Harl pour what he considered to be an obscene amount of syrup onto his plate and politely declined putting any on his own. They finished around the same time, but Harl jumped up to put another frozen pancake into the toaster. "I need to soak up the rest of the syrup!" he said when Tippy questioned him.

Tippy nodded and put his plate in the sink. "Harl," he said, "before you continue eating… there's something I need to tell you."

"Okay," Harl said, and he sat back down at the table. "What is it?"

"When I rejected you…"

Harl immediately straightened up, and Tippy hesitated. "I don't recall the exact words I used," he said, "but I told you I could not return your feelings at that moment, because I didn't think you had given them the required thought. Have you thought more on them since?"

"Yeah!" Harl said. "I mean, sort of? I still like you a lot, and I'm happy being friends. But…"

He trailed off. "But…?" Tippy echoed.

"You keep saying this is going to end," Harl said. "That we can't stay roommates, or cook for each other, or… any of that. I don't want it to end. I don't like that you're doing them if you think that we can't do them forever."

"Nothing's permanent, Harl."

"That's not what I mean! Why are you friends with me if you want it to end?"

Tippy took a deep breath. "Because I don't," he said. "Want it to end, I mean. Harl, I have feelings for you, too."

Harl's eyes widened. "But you said…"

"I told you to think more because I didn't believe your feelings were true. I thought you were tricking yourself, somehow, into thinking I was someone I'm not." Tippy's mouth was dry. He ran his tongue over his lips and continued. "I enjoy your company, Harl. You're a good, genuine man, and you care for me in a way no one else does. I would be a fool not to return your feelings."

A smile slowly spread across Harl's face. "So does that mean we can be more than friends?"

"Not yet," Tippy said, and Harl's smile vanished. "Don't look so glum, that doesn't mean I don't want to, or that we never will be. I just… would like you to understand me a little better, first. And to that end, there's something I want to share with you."

"Really? What is it?"

Tippy smiled. "Have you heard of the Open Doors Society?"


	4. Daisy Lewis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for missing an update last week, and also yesterday. I've been frazzled and writing is hard. enjoy this chapter, though!

When Mary Sinclair said, "What is a criminal doing in my lobby?" Evelyn and Bill met each other's eyes and knew they were thinking of the same person.

The criminal was a short, chubby woman with a streak of orange in her black hair. She was decidedly not Tippy. "Daisy Lewis?" Evelyn said, looking her over. "Didn't you use to hang out with my brother?"

Daisy laughed. "Only 'cause your stepdad made us! He was like, way older than me, so it's not like we were friends. Hey, does your mom-in-law know about the rest of your family?"

"I am aware of her brother and stepfather, yes," Mary said with a glare. "Security, please escort this woman out of here –"

"Aw, c'mon." Daisy pulled her arm out of the guard's grip. "There's no warrant out for my arrest right now, and I just wanted to say hi! Wanna catch up, Evelyn?"

Evelyn glanced at her husband, who shook his head. "Daisy," said Evelyn, "we barely spoke to each other before I moved out. You were just the preteen who hung around my little brother. Why do you want to catch up?"

Daisy grinned. "Just curious! Like, why'd you come back after so long, and why'd you cut contact in the first place?"

"That's a personal matter –" Bill started.

"Got pregnant," Evelyn said.

"You what –"

"Mommy!"

Evelyn turned around just in time for a little girl to collide with her legs. "Hi, Mommy," Alice said, smiling up at her and wrapping her arms around her waist. She leaned back and looked upside-down at Daisy. "Who's this lady?"

Daisy gasped. "Holy cow, you have a kid!"

Evelyn sighed and picked Alice up. "Two," she said, turned back to Daisy. "Mason should be upstairs, where _both_ of them were supposed to wait for us. Alice, why didn't you stay with your brother?"

"Got bored," Alice said. "Hi, lady."

She waved. Daisy giggled and waved back. "She's so cute!" she said. "Does Fendrich know he has grandkids?"

"Fendrich is not part of my family," Evelyn said. "So no, he doesn't."

Daisy tilted her head. "And Tippy?"

Evelyn opened her mouth, but Bill spoke first. "Tippy is not part of our family, either," he said. "Did he send you?"

"What?" Daisy said. "No, I came on my own. What do you mean, Tippy's not part of your family? He's your brother! Have you even spoken to him?"

"Yes," Evelyn said, "I have."

"Huh," said Mary. "That's news to me."

Evelyn shifted her grip on Alice. "Daisy, I would appreciate it if you left," she said. "Who is or isn't part of my family is not your business. If you do genuinely care, please keep Fendrich and Tippy both out of my personal life."

Daisy frowned, but didn't argue, and let security lead her out. Evelyn sighed and went to one of the chairs scattered around the lobby, sitting down with Alice on her lap.

Bill and Mary went to her side. "I'm sorry about that," Mary said. "Really, security should've removed her before we even got down here, but…"

"I thought she was nice," said Alice.

Evelyn smiled. "Of course you did. Bill, could you take Alice back to the room and make sure Mason's doing alright?"

"Of course, Eve."

Alice whined when Bill picked her up. "I wanna stay with Mommy an' Grandma!" she said, twisting in Bill's arms. "Why can't I stay?"

"You can play with your brother," Bill said. "You shouldn't have left him all alone, Alice. Siblings have to take care of each other, remember?"

Evelyn watched them go to the elevator, then leaned back in the chair and let out a long sigh. "Fendrich is definitely going to find out," she said. "It was only a matter of time."

Mary put a hand on her shoulder. "I've been dealing with him since before you were born," she said. "If you don't want him to be part of your life, then I won't let him insert himself."

"I'm more worried about my brother." Evelyn looked at her phone, as if expecting Tippy to get around the block she placed on his number and leave another four voicemails. "He… didn't take our conversation well."

"I'm surprised you talked to him in the first place. He's always been close to his stepfather."

"I knew that, I just thought that after so long, he'd realize Fendrich has always treated him horribly." Evelyn sighed. "I guess not."

"If either of them give you trouble, you can come to me," Mary said. "You're a Sinclair now, Evelyn. I consider you one of my own."

"I know, Mary," Evelyn said. "Thank you."

* * *

Harl was not a brain surgeon, and hadn't had any sort of medical training. He had thought about becoming a doctor, once, but his grades weren't high enough to get into medical school, so he decided against it.

Listening to Tippy, Harl wished he had studied just a little harder, if only because something was clearly wrong with Tippy's brain and Harl didn't know if he could do anything to help him.

"So you see," Tippy continued, "the act of opening a door is the act of manipulating boundaries, crossing over from one place to the next. In this world, these are all physical boundaries, such as buildings and borders, gates and whatnot, but in Paradoors, doors can open to so much more! It's said that physical distance doesn't matter, there – all travel is instantaneous, the other side of the world just a door away."

"That, uh, sounds nice," Harl said. "How does it… work?"

"Well, in this world, it obviously wouldn't. We're bound by different laws. But in Paradoors, everything is different." Tippy looked around. "Oh, I need my pen. Do you have paper I can use?"

Harl got up and fetched blank paper from his desk. "So these Open Doors Society people taught you all this?" he asked when he came back to the table. "How did you find them?"

Tippy laughed nervously. "Well, that's a long story…"

"We've already been talking for half an hour."

"Yes, and imagine how much longer we'd be talking if I told you everything!" Tippy tapped his pen on the paper. "Maybe we should stop for now. I'm sure I've given you a lot to think about."

Harl forced a smile. "You sure have," he said. "I… I'm not sure I understand all of it, but…"

"Don't worry, these are concepts I learned bit by bit over the course of years, and I'm giving them to you all at once." Tippy smiled. "Let's take a break. I should head back to my apartment, get my real clothes."

"Okay," Harl said. "Let's go together! It's a nice day for a ride around town."

"I don't think my apartment is that far…"

"I want to show you some of my favorite places on the way. Don't worry," he said, noticing Tippy's frown, "it'll be fun! Besides, it's too hot for your regular clothes."

"I've gotten used to the summer heat," Tippy said. "If anything, I'm afraid I'll be chilly in just a t-shirt."

"Now you're just being silly. C'mon, let's go!"

He took Tippy's hand and pulled him to the door. "Fine, fine," Tippy said. "But let's not stay out too long, alright? I'm sure you have a very busy day ahead of you…"

"Not really," Harl said. "Oh! I should give you a key!"

"What?"

"Like you gave me! A key to my apartment!" Harl dug around in his pockets, then frowned. "Wait, I forgot. I can't give you my spare, I'm using it."

"What happened to your other set?"

"It's on Mars."

"Ah."

"I'll get a new one," Harl said. "Later. Let's go!"

* * *

The first place they stopped was the market by the train station. "Isn't this a little tourist-y?" Tippy commented as Harl parked his cart. "I think I used to work at a hotel around here."

"There's a really good macaroni place in the food court," Harl said. "I'll buy you some!"

"Tourist food tends to be expensive. Are you sure?"

Harl nodded. "I got paid time off this week, so I have a little extra money," he said. "Besides, this way I won't feel as bad about eating your groceries!"

Tippy laughed. "Very well, I'm convinced. You may pay for my expensive tourist macaroni."

As they entered the food court, Harl noticed Tippy glancing from side to side at the people around them. He hunched over when they passed through the crowd, hugging his chest. Harl frowned. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Harl, everyone in the city knows who I am," Tippy whispered. "And I daresay they don't have the highest opinion of me. Not after I tried to take over the world."

Harl looked around. "They don't look like they're paying much attention to you," he said.

"I feel eyes on me constantly." Tippy picked at his t-shirt. "But maybe they don't recognize me in these clothes."

They weaved through the tourists and found the macaroni and cheese place. Harl pointed out all the different options they had while Tippy expressed his distaste for the price. They settled on a plan, four-cheese bowl for Tippy and a bowl of buffalo mac n' cheese for Harl. "This is a lot," Tippy commented when he got his bowl. "I didn't think there would be that much."

"I mean, it was almost ten dollars for each bowl," Harl said, already digging in. "They'd better give us a lot!"

There was no sitting room left at the tables, so Harl and Tippy leaned against the wall to eat. "This isn't bad," Tippy said. "I'm not usually one for comfort food, but this is nice."

Harl nodded and swallowed his mouthful. "I love this place," he said. "It's so cool that there's a food stall just for macaroni. I think there's a cookie place here, too!"

Tippy chuckled and picked at his food. "As good as this is, I don't think I can eat it all."

After finishing his own bowl, Harl tried to eat the rest of Tippy's, but couldn't get through it all and ended up throwing out the remainder. "How much do you think that last bit cost?" Tippy mused. "Four dollars?"

"Eh, we're paying for the experience, too." Harl looked around. "Is there anywhere else here you want to look at before we go?"

"Not particularly. Where are we going next?"

Their next stop was the city's transfer station. "You said we were going to your favorite spots," Tippy said. "This is a dump."

"I know, I know," Harl said. "But we're not here for the garbage! Look!"

He pointed to a small garage with a sign outside reading "City Swap Shop." "This is where I get a lot of my stuff!" Harl said. "People bring in the things they don't want to keep, but are too good to throw away, and other people can come in and take them. It's where I got the clothes you're wearing!"

Tippy looked down at his shirt and scrunched up his face. "You got these clothes from the dump?"

"Don't worry, they've been washed."

"Still…"

"C'mon, let's go inside!"

Inside the swap shop, Harl excitedly showed Tippy all the different sections. "They have a lot of books," he said. "I noticed you have a lot of books in your apartment – do you like reading?"

Tippy shrugged. "I don't not like it."

"Maybe there'll be something you like – let's take a look."

Tippy picked up a book and flipped through it. "Huh," he said, and turned to the beginning. Harl watched him read for a few moments, then walked away to check the clothes section.

Ten minutes went by and Tippy was still reading. Harl picked up some more clothes and a screwdriver in a size he didn't have and returned to the books. "Do you want to take it with you?" he asked. "I don't mind if we stay a little longer, but there's a thirty-minute browsing limit."

"Oh." Tippy closed the book. "Does it cost anything?"

"Nope! Everything here is completely free."

"Then I'll take it." Tippy eyed the clothes in Harl's arms. "What are you going to use those for?"

"Most are going in the box. I need to replace the ones you have, after all!"

"I… didn't actually intend on keeping these. I don't even know what the game on this shirt is."

"I don't know either, I just thought the logo looked cool. Is there anything else you want here?"

After a quick walk around the garage, they decided they didn't need anything else and got back on the cart. Just as he was about to start pedaling, Harl heard a voice. "Tippy, is that you?"

They both looked back. "Betty?" Tippy said. "What are you doing here?"

The woman laughed and walked towards them with a friendly smile. She was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing baseball cap with her ponytail sticking out. "I almost didn't recognize you in that getup!" she said. "I have a gig here – totally legal, so don't worry about that. Just helping out at the recycling station."

Harl looked from Tippy to Betty and back again. "You two know each other?" he asked. "How'd you meet?"

"She works for my stepfather," Tippy said.

"Hank and I used to babysit him," Betty added. "So how've you been?"

"I've been…" Tippy hesitated. "…well enough, all things considered. Better than I expected, honestly."

"Yeah, I get that. You're friends with Harl, now?"

Harl beamed. "Yep! I'm showing him all my favorite places!"

"Harl's been a great help to me," Tippy said. "I don't know what I would've done if he hadn't been there."

Betty grinned. "That's great! Hey, I gotta get back to work, but I'll let Hank know you're doing alright. Keep in touch, alright?"

"Will do. Tell him I said hello."

Betty waved and walked back to the recycling station. Harl waved back. "Okay!" he said to Tippy. "There's just a few dozen more stops left, and then we'll go to your apartment."

"I'm sorry, how many?" Tippy frowned. "This has been fun, but I really would like to get my regular clothes on, and I'm not sure I'll want to go out again after that…"

"Aw, but we only went to two places. Besides…"

Harl paused. Tippy raised an eyebrow and waited for him to continue.

"I want to show you there's good things in this world, too," Harl said. "Like macaroni, and the swap shop. There's other things, too, like a flower garden I helped plant, and a gift shop that has a lot of nice stuff, and – and I know Paradoors sounds nice, but this world is really beautiful. I want to help you see that."

Tippy frowned. He didn't respond. Harl tried to keep a smile on his face. "What do you think?" he said.

"What I think," Tippy said, "is that I would like to go back to my apartment now."

Harl's heart sank, and all he could manage to say was, "Okay."

* * *

"So," Fendrich said, staring out the window, "not only has my stepdaughter married Sinclair's son, but she had kids with him. Imagine that!"

Behind him, Daisy shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. "Yeah," she said. "Also, she doesn't want to see you, and she didn't want me to tell you this stuff. I'm getting paid for this, right?"

"Of course, of course." Fendrich turned around with a smile. "You did very well, Daisy, but I'm afraid there's one more thing I need to ask of you."

"Sure," Daisy said. "I mean, maybe. What is it?"

Fendrich clasped his hands together. "Find Evelyn and bring her to me," he said. "I just want to have a talk with her, but I know full well Sinclair won't let me get close if I go myself."

"That's not gonna be easy," Daisy said. "Like I said, she doesn't want anything to do with you. How am I supposed to convince her to talk to you?"

"Daisy, I am not asking you to convince her."

Fendrich's meaning slowly sunk in. "No way," Daisy said, taking a step back. "Look, I know I'm a crook, but I'm not gonna kidnap your stepdaughter! That's too far!"

"Really," said Fendrich. "Then you won't get paid, and I'll put a warrant out for your arrest."

Daisy's eyes widened. "You're threatening me?!"

"Yes!" Fendrich took a step closer. "I am going to speak to my stepdaughter one way or another, and if you won't help me, then I won't help you. So what do you say, Daisy? Will you go get Evelyn for me?"

She hesitated for a long moment, then silently cursed herself for considering it. "No," she said. "Put a warrant out, do whatever. I don't care. I'm not getting into the kidnapping business, and especially not for her."

"Fine!" Fendrich took out his phone. "You've made the wrong choice, Daisy Lewis. Now get out of here before I make security fetch you."

Daisy glared at him and went back to the elevator. Obviously, Fendrich wasn't going to quit just because one person refused him. He'd get someone else to do the dirty work. Someone had to warn Evelyn – it may as well be her.

When she exited the building, she was greeted by police sirens.

"Daisy Lewis!"

She groaned. "Oh, come on!"

* * *

When Harl tried to follow Tippy into his apartment, Tippy shut the door in his face.

"Huh?" He tried to open it, but even after he unlocked it with the spare key, it didn't open more than a crack. "Tippy! What's going on?"

"Please come back later, Harl," Tippy called back. "I'm not in the mood."

"Are you angry at me? What did I do?"

Tippy's face came into view through the crack, scowling. "I thought you understood what Paradoors means to me," he said. "It's what I've been working towards my entire adult life!"

"I understand, I just think –"

"Don't lie to me, Harl!" Tippy snapped. "You think I'm delusional, just like Evelyn does!"

"I don't think you're delusional!" Harl protested. "I just think you believe things that… aren't actually real."

Tippy slammed the door.

"Wait!" Harl pushed it open again, as far as it would go. Tippy was no longer in view. "It's okay if you believe things that aren't true, I still care about you! I want to help you, Tippy!"

"How can you help me if you don't take me seriously?!" Tippy shouted. "I trusted you, Harl! I wanted you to understand!"

"I want to understand!" Harl put all his weight on the door, but it refused to budge any further. "I'll keep listening, and not just because I like to hear you talk, but because I want to understand you! Please, Tippy, let me in!"

"Not if you're not willing to even consider that Paradoors is real!"

"But –"

Harl cut himself off and bit his lip. Tippy said nothing, but Harl could hear him breathing, just on the other side of the door. Harl rubbed his eyes.

"Okay," he said. "Show me."

"Excuse me?!"

Harl swallowed hard. "I know where the Mars door is," he said. "After you were arrested, I overheard them talking about putting it in museum storage. I'll help you get to it. Show me Paradoors."

"You don't –" Tippy's voice caught. "– you don't believe me. You think it's just a rock."

"Tippy, if I take you there, and it's just a rock, we're going to get in so much trouble for breaking and entering. Arrested, probably." Harl placed his hand on the doorknob. "I'm trusting you, Tippy. Take me to Paradoors."

Tippy didn't answer. Harl sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Tippy…"

The door opened.

"Okay," said Tippy. "I'll show you."


	5. The Mars Door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks 4 reading, next update next sunday

They had to wait until nightfall. In that time, Harl and Tippy sat in the park outside the museum and discussed the plan in low voices. "I can turn off the alarms," Harl said, "but I have to get to the systems, first, so that'll be up to you."

Tippy nodded. "I'll be able to get the doors open," he said. "Do you know where the entrance to the basement is?"

"Um, there's a stairwell in the back that goes down there. The door is locked, though, and I don't know if it's alarmed."

"We'll find a way," Tippy said. "If nothing else, we just have to move fast, and you'll be safe in Paradoors."

" _I'll_ be safe…?"

Tippy smiled. "I can't go with you, Harl – at least, not right away. I have to stay and lead everyone else through. Don't worry, I'll be there soon enough."

"Right," Harl said. "Right."

The museum closed at five, but there would still be events hosted in it past midnight. Harl and Tippy found a twenty-four hour fast food place to sit and have dinner in while they waited. Tippy insisted on paying for both of them. "Consider it my thank you for lunch," he said. "And… an apology."

"An apology? For what?"

They sat down with their burgers. "For losing my temper," Tippy said. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I've had time to calm down now, and it… means a lot, that you're willing to do this."

"It's okay, Tippy," Harl said. "I know how important this is to you. I'm… a little sorry I didn't know sooner."

"Don't be sorry. You're helping me now, and I can't express how much it means to me."

Harl took a bite of his burger to avoid responding.

The hours went by. The fast food restaurant slowly emptied. Harl's eyelids began to droop, but he forced himself to stay awake. Finally, at half past midnight, Tippy stood up.

"It's time," he said.

* * *

They approached the museum from the back. "There will be security guards," Tippy whispered, both of them hidden in the next alley over. "Cameras, too. I'm not sure what to do about those."

Harl frowned. "I can probably disable them if I can find them," he said. "Do you see any?"

Tippy pointed. Harl squinted in the darkness and spotted a camera pointed right at the back door. "Okay," he whispered. "I'm going in."

He took a deep breath and left the alley, creeping up to the camera. As he approached the door, he slowed down and took out his hammer. It would be a longshot, but if he threw it just right…"

"Hey! What are you doing?"

Harl jumped and spun around to face the security guard. "Sorry!" he squeaked, shielding his eyes. "I was just, uh…"

The guard lowered the flashlight. "Harl Hubbs?" she said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just, uh…" Harl's eyes darted back to the alley Tippy was hiding in. Thankfully, the other man was still hidden. "I'm helping!"

"You're… helping?"

"Yeah!" Harl nodded furiously. "I was just, uh, noticing that your security camera isn't… aligned? Properly? So I'm here to help!"

She frowned. "You sure? It was looking fine when I checked the feed earlier."

"Trust me, I know a lot about misaligned… thingies. And that camera is _definitely_ misaligned." Harl raised his hammer. "Luckily, I know just how to fix it!"

The security guard looked at Harl, looked at the camera, and shrugged. "Sure, go ahead. Do you want a ladder?"

"Oh! A ladder would be great! Thank you!"

"Sure. There's one right out here, actually." She shone her flashlight on the wall, and sure enough, there was a ladder hidden behind the dumpster. Harl thanked her and dragged it out, wincing at the noise it made. Once it was in place, he climbed up to the camera and raised his hammer.

What was he going to do, again?

"Huh," the guard said. "Is it worse than you thought?"

"Sort of?" Harl squeaked. "Let me just…"

He swung the hammer as hard as he could and shattered the camera lens.

The guard gaped at him. Harl felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Whoops!" he said. "I'll, uh, fix that, too!"

"Y'know," the guard said, "I think you've helped enough. I'm gonna go and report the damage."

Harl climbed down the ladder. "I'm really sorry," he said. "Maybe I can come back in the morning? Fix it then?"

"I'll have to talk to my boss about that. Why don't you go home and get some sleep."

"You got it!"

The guard unlocked the door and went inside. Harl rushed back to the alley and grinned at Tippy, who was staring at him with wide eyes. "We're good!" Harl said. "Let's go before she comes back out!"

* * *

The door had locked behind the guard, but Tippy opened it easily and motioned for Harl to follow him inside. "This is good," he whispered. "If the guards can move around, there might not be alarms inside."

"Still cameras, though." Harl gulped. "We should… probably take care of that."

Tippy shushed him and pulled him down behind a stack of boxes. Harl suppressed a yelp and tucked his legs in, his heart pounding as he heard the guard's footsteps come closer.

"Huh," she said. "I thought I locked this… oh well."

The door opened and closed behind her. Harl let out the breath he was holding.

"Let's move," Tippy whispered.

The first thing they had to do was disable the cameras. Tippy found the door to the office and opened it for Harl. "Okay," Harl whispered, looking around at all the screens. "I think I can do this. I just gotta…"

He pulled up a chair and pressed a button on the keyboard.

Alarms rang out.

Harl yelped just as the noise shut off, along with all the screens and the lights. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he stood up and saw Tippy standing by a cabinet full of circuit breakers.

"I, uh…" Tippy gulped. "Shut off the power."

Harl took a deep breath. "Okay," he said. "We should keep moving."

* * *

It took Tippy a few seconds longer to unlock the door to the stairwell. "Are you okay?" Harl whispered.

Tippy didn't answer until they were through the door and he had closed it behind them. "I'm fine," he whispered back. "Just… nervous, that's all."

Harl nodded and said nothing. They crept down the stairs and arrived at the door to the basement. Tippy's hands shook as he unlocked it, and Harl could hear him breathing hard. When it opened, he stood and stared at it for a few seconds before Harl nudged him.

"I'm fine," Tippy whispered. "I'm – I'm ready."

He held the door open. Harl hesitated before going in.

The hall on the other side was narrow and dark. Harl took out a flashlight and shone it around. "I don't know where to go from here," he whispered. "Where do you think…?"

Tippy walked forward and rounded a corner, leaving Harl behind. "Tippy!" Harl hissed. "Tippy, where are you going?"

He ran a few steps, nearly stumbled, and followed Tippy around the corner, but the other man was nowhere to be found. "Tippy!" Harl whispered as loud as he dared. "Tippy! Where are you?"

"Harl."

He spun around and spotted a door he hadn't seen before, open just a crack. "Tippy?" he said. "Are you in there?"

"Harl, I found it."

Harl swallowed hard. "Okay," he said. "I'm – I'm coming."

He pushed the door open and stepped through.

The Mars door was set in a glass case, standing upright. Tippy stood in front of it, his shoulders shaking. Harl closed the door and walked forward to stand next to him.

"That's really it, huh?" he said.

Tippy nodded. The flashlight reflected off the glass and illuminated the smile on his face. "It's finally happening," he whispered. "Harl, I can't thank you enough. Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you for believing in me."

Harl took his hand. Tippy squeezed back before letting go and stepping forward. "We're going to need to get it out of there," he said. "I think this opens…"

The case didn't open. They struggled with it for a full minute before Harl took out his hammer. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Tippy whispered. "What if it sets off an alarm?"

"I don't have any other ideas," Harl whispered back. "Do you?"

Tippy shook his head. "Okay," Harl said. "Three, two, one…"

He swung the hammer. The glass shattered. Harl backed up and shielded his face. When he looked, there was a hole large enough for one of them to fit through. He met Tippy's eyes and gestured with the hammer.

Tippy took a deep, shuddering breath and carefully picked his way over the shards until he was standing inside the case, in front of the door. He reached a hand towards it, then let it fall back to his side. "I thought I was ready," he said. "But…"

Harl took a step forward, the glass crunching under his feet. "I'll be here," he said. "No matter what happens, I'll be with you."

Tippy looked at him with a sad smile. "You still don't think it's real, do you?"

"I'm open to being proved wrong." Harl managed to smile back. "Do you want to give it a shot?"

Tippy chuckled and turned back to the door. "This is what's awaited me my whole life," he said. "The prophecy, the Door of Doors… I want to show you Paradoors, Harl, I…"

He trailed off. His hand was on the knob.

Harl heard footsteps above them. "Uh, Tippy?" he whispered. "We don't have much time."

"It's not, ah…" Tippy pulled on the knob, first with one hand, then both. "It's not opening."

He pulled harder. The door shifted slightly. Harl took a deep breath. "Tippy," he said.

"I think I've got it," Tippy said. "I didn't expect it to be this –"

The Mars door toppled over.

Harl dropped the hammer and moved to catch the rock before it could hit Tippy. The impact made his arms ache, but he managed to hold it up. Tippy staggered back, his eyes wide.

Harl grunted with effort and carefully returned the rock to its position, only letting go once he was sure it was stable. "We should go," he said, turning back to Tippy. "I think there's someone coming. Tippy…"

Tippy shook his head. "It can't just be a rock," he said. "I can't… I can't have…"

Harl caught him before he fell to his knees. "Tippy, the glass – I don't want you to get hurt –"

"This can't be happening," Tippy whispered, almost limp in Harl's arms. "I worked so hard for this, I… I…"

"I'm sorry, Tippy," Harl said. "I know – I know this is hard."

"Did you know?" Tippy said, gripping fistfuls of Harl's shirt. "Did you bring me here just to laugh at me?"

"No! I'd never do that!" Harl hugged Tippy to his chest. "I love you, Tippy," he said, "but it isn't real, and you needed to know that. That's why I brought you here. You had to see for yourself."

Tippy sobbed. "Paradoors isn't real," he choked out. "I'm never going to see my mother again. I'm never going to see _Evelyn_ again. How could you do this to me? Harl, why –"

"I'm sorry!" Harl could hear footsteps again. He ignored them – no point in trying to get away now. "I'm really sorry, Tippy. I – I wish it had been real. I wish we could've gone there and been happy together. But this world is all we've got, and – and I don't want to lose you, Tippy."

Tippy pressed his face into Harl's shirt and wailed. Harl held his trembling body, feeling tears in his own eyes. The footsteps were coming closer, and Harl heard the crackle of radio static. He closed his eyes and waited to be discovered.

* * *

"Yeah, uh, there's no intruder. I mean, a wild animal got in. Yeah. Broke the glass in the room the Mars door is in. Yeah, no, I'll call animal control. Understood. Duke out."

Duke turned his radio off and looked back at Harl and Tippy. "You two should get on out of here," he said. "Can't promise someone won't come along after me, and they might not be as nice."

"Thank you, Duke," Harl said.

"Don't mention it. Seriously."

Harl helped Tippy to his feet. The other man clung to him as they stepped over the glass, tears streaming down his face. Duke walked them back to the stairwell, and whispered, "I'm gonna distract the security guard in the office. You two head out the back."

Harl nodded and adjusted his grip on Tippy. "Thank you," he said again.

"Yeah, yeah," Duke said. "Don't tell my superiors."

They made it back to the alley where Harl parked his cart. "Are you okay with going to your place?" Harl asked. "Unless you want to go to mine…"

"I don't care," Tippy said. "It doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore."

"…we'll go to yours."

* * *

Harl was exhausted by the time they reached Tippy's apartment. He parked his cart in the permit-only spot and helped Tippy to the elevator. Tippy didn't move to unlock the apartment door, so Harl used the spare key and half-carried Tippy to bed. Once Tippy was lying on top of the covers, Harl cleared his throat. "I'm going to the couch," he said. "I'll… I'll see you in the morning, Tippy."

Tippy grabbed his arm.

"Stay with me."

"Huh?" Harl said. "I am staying, Tippy, I'll be on the couch."

Tippy pulled him closer. "Stay with me," he repeated.

"I, uh…" Harl's face heated up. "Are you sure?"

"I won't force you," Tippy said. "But… please stay with me, Harl."

Harl nodded. "Okay," he said. "I'll stay."

* * *

The next morning, there was a hard knock at the door.

Harl sat up, untangling himself from Tippy's arms. "I'll check on that," he said to him while Tippy blinked his eyes open. "You stay here."

He didn't recognize the blonde-haired man outside the door, but he didn't look like the police, so that was good. "You're not Tippy," the man said. "Where is Tippy Dorman?"

"He's still sleeping," Harl said. "Can I help you – hey!"

The man shouldered past him, into the apartment. Harl grabbed his arm. "You can't just barge into people's homes like that!" he said. "Who are you? What do you want with Tippy?"

"Harl?" Tippy called from the bedroom. "What's going on?"

"You!" The man wrenched his arm out of Harl's grip. "Where is Evelyn?!"

"What?!" Harl yelped.

Tippy opened the bedroom door, now dressed in his doorman uniform. "Bill Sinclair?" he said in alarm. "What are you doing here? Why would I know where Evelyn is?"

"This is your brother-in-law?" Harl frowned. "What's going on?"

Bill jabbed a finger at Tippy's chest. "You must have something to do with this!" he shouted. "I know you didn't come back to this apartment until nearly three in the morning!"

Tippy's eyes widened. "How did you know – ?"

"Tell me where she is!"

"We don't know!" Harl put himself between Bill and Tippy. "I know Tippy and I were out late last night, but we were together the whole time, and we never saw her! I swear! What happened?"

Bill glared at them. "I'll tell you what happened," he said. "Someone has kidnapped my wife, and _you,_ Tippy Dorman, are the most likely suspect." He crossed his arms. "Now, unless you can tell me what you were doing last night, I'm calling the police."

Harl's eyes widened. He said nothing.

"That's what I thought," said Bill. "You two sit right here. It'll be a lot worse for you if you put up a fight."

He turned and walked out to the hallway. Tippy sat down on the couch and buried his face in his hands. Harl sat next to him, not knowing how to help. "It'll be okay," he said, trying to convince himself as much as Tippy. "They'll – they'll figure out that we weren't involved, I know it!"

"Harl," Tippy said, "we don't have an alibi, and if I'm right about who did this, the law can't touch him." He sighed. "At least I know he won't hurt her…"

"Wait, do you know who did this?"

Tippy nodded. "It must have been Fendrich," he said. "Not that anyone will believe me. He has half the police force under his control."

Harl took a moment to process the new information. "Fendrich… is a criminal?"

"Not according to the courts. He's very good at covering his tracks. But, I understand what you're saying, and yes."

Harl bit his lip. "But if Bill blames us… and we don't have an alibi…"

Bill came back into the room. "The police are on their way," he said. "Don't try anything funny."

Harl put an arm around Tippy and hoped Evelyn was okay.


	6. Duke Detain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY for missing so many sunday updates. there's only 9 chapters total, so 3 more after this, and those should be done this month. thanks 4 reading, remember to like comment subscribe if you enjoy

When Duke walked into the station, he was greeted by one of the other officers. "Good job last night, Duke," she said. "Things got kind of crazy after you went home."

"Really?" Duke picked up a donut from the selection someone had brought in. "What happened?"

"Evelyn Sinclair got kidnapped, and her husband is convinced her brother, Tippy Dorman, did it." She shrugged. "Not sure how likely it is, but he doesn't have an alibi, so he and Harl Hubbs have been brought in for questioning. Are you okay?"

Duke dropped his donut. "I have to go."

"What? But you're on –"

"No time to waste!" He ran back to the door. "Tell Chief Wheeler I'll be back soon! Ish! Bye!"

* * *

"Okay, Tippy," Tom Bennett said, putting his schedule book down. "All we need is for you to tell the truth. Where were you last night?"

Tippy swallowed hard. The handcuffs were heavy on his wrists. "I was, uh… at Harl's apartment, until –"

" _BZZT!_ " Chief Wheeler made his best impression of a gameshow buzzer, skateboarding circles around the desk. "You and Harl left his apartment at one in the afternoon and didn't come back! Guy at the car wash confirmed it! Plus, we have video footage of you at the twenty-four hour burger place, suspiciously close to Sinclair Tower, so it's not looking super good for you, dude!"

"I didn't do it!" Tippy cried. "Evelyn doesn't want anything to do with me! I wouldn't go against that!"

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Which is why you left her four voicemails in the middle of the night, right? Bill told us she had to block your number."

"She blocked my number?!"

Tom sighed. "Look, don't lie to us. Regardless of whether you're guilty or not, lying to the police is going to make things worse for you. Where were you last night?"

Tippy took a few deep breaths, feeling his heart pounding. "After we got dinner, we, uh, didn't feel tired, so we walked around the park for –"

" _BZZT!_ Park closes at five!"

"Oh, come on!"

"I would love to believe that you didn't kidnap your sister," Tom said, "but at the moment, it doesn't seem very likely. I'm going to ask one more time. Where were you last night?"

"Wait!"

The door burst open and Duke rolled in, dodged around Wheeler, and kicked off the floor to land standing up on top of the desk. "Captain Bennett, Chief Wheeler – with all due respect, this man is innocent!"

"Duke?!" Tippy yelped.

"Rad entrance, bro!" Wheeler said. "But hey, you're interrupting the interrogation, and that's super uncool. What's going on?"

"Tippy and Harl didn't kidnap Evelyn – and I have proof!" Duke grinned down at Tippy and motioned to the door. "Daphne, come on in!"

A woman walked in with a confused and mildly terrified expression. "Uh," she said, "what am I supposed to tell them, again?"

"This is Daphne DeStracted," Duke said to Tom. "A security guard. Just before one in the morning, she encountered Harl Hubbs behind the museum."

"One in the morning, huh?" Wheeler crossed his arms. "That's the time Evelyn's kidnappers would've had to be at Sinclair Tower! Dudette, is this true?"

"Well, yeah," Daphne said. "He said the security camera needed realigning, and then he accidentally broke it. I figured I'd been Harl'd. Why is Tippy here?"

"Good point," Tom said. "Duke, if what you're saying is true, then Harl Hubbs does indeed have an alibi – but Tippy still doesn't."

"I'm not done yet!" Duke jumped off the desk and stood next to Tippy. "They _both_ have an alibi, because when I was called to the museum, I found them both in the museum's storage room, with the Mars door! They had nothing to do with the kidnapping!"

Tom stared at him for a long moment, his mouth hanging open. "You said a wild animal got in," he finally said. "In your report, you specifically described a jaguar."

"I, uh…" Duke forced a smile. "I lied."

"Wait, what?" said Daphne.

Wheeler gasped. "What a turn of events!"

Tom took a long, deep breath. "Tippy, what do you have to say about this?"

Tippy's face burned. "I think it would have been less embarrassing to be framed for the kidnapping."

"You're welcome," Duke said. "Now, you're gonna let them both go, right?"

"With _all due respect,_ Officer Detain," Tom said, "you just described them doing a completely different crime, _and_ admitted to falsifying a police report. Not only are we not letting them go, but you're going to be in big trouble for this."

"That's incredibly un-rad of you," Wheeler added. "Like, what's the opposite of gnarly?"

Duke frowned. "Are you, uh, asking me?"

"Officer Detain," Tom said, "please report to your office, and remain there until we tell you otherwise. Now leave. Miss DeStracted, you may also go."

"Yeah, okay," said Daphne, and she left.

Duke hesitated for a long moment until Tom coughed and he straightened up. "Right," he said. "Uh… sorry, Tippy."

He left. Tom exhaled. "Now," he said. "Tippy, why were you at the museum last night?"

* * *

"Don't I have the right to remain silent?" Harl squeaked, flinching at the bright light. "I don't know! I've never been arrested before!"

"Sorry, is that hurting your eyes?" The officer moved the light away. "Okay, so –"

The other officer interrupted her. "Greta, we agreed I was going to be the good cop!"

"No way, Gail, you were the good cop last time! It's my turn!"

Harl gulped. "Uh, maybe you could both be good cop?"

"How is an interrogation supposed to work with two good cops?" Greta said.

"Oh!" Gail brightened up. "I have ideas! You're supposed to kill 'em with kindness, right?"

"What?"

The doors burst open. Harl was more surprised to see Duke _walking_ in than he was to see Duke himself. "Hey, Officer Gail, Officer Greta," he said with a grin. "I'm taking over the interrogation."

"You're what?" Greta narrowed her eyes. "Under whose authority?"

"Chief Wheeler's. Ask him yourself!" Duke took Harl's arm and pulled him up from the chair. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle with him. Well, as gentle as I need to be to get the information, y'know?"

Harl stumbled as Duke led him to the door, but managed to stay on his feet. Duke closed the door and took a deep breath "Okay," he said, "we gotta move."

"What's going on?" Harl asked. "Where are we going?"

"Shush." Duke started walking again. "You see, when I apprehended Daisy Kaboom the other day, she kept insisting that Fendrich was going to kidnap Evelyn Sinclair. I didn't believe her at the time, but, well, Evelyn's been kidnapped, and I don't have any other leads."

Harl nodded. "Yeah! It was Fendrich! I mean, I don't have proof, but Tippy says he's a criminal, and we didn't do it –"

"Quiet. Long story short, I tried to get them to release you two by telling them I saw you at the museum –"

"Wait, what –"

"– but they didn't listen, so I'm busting you out of here."

"You what –"

An explosion rocked the building. Harl screamed. "What was that?!"

Duke gave him a sheepish smile. "I, uh, got help."

* * *

Daisy cackled and revved her motorcycle. "I've got more where that came from!" she said, throwing and catching a stick of dynamite in one hand. "So, you gonna give me Tippy or what?"

"You're going to blow up the police station?" Wheeler said in alarm. "That's so gutsy, it's kind of cool! Can I watch the explosion?"

"Chief!" Tom shouted. "Focus!"

"Oh, right."

Tippy couldn't hear himself think. His ears were ringing from the explosion. He was faintly aware alarms were blaring, but it seemed far away. When someone grabbed him, he shrieked and tried to pull away.

"Calm down," Daisy said. "I'm trying to rescue you!"

"Why should I trust you?!" Tippy yelled. "Don't you realize how much trouble I'm going to be in?! I could get prison for multiple days!"

"Who cares? I know who kidnapped your sister, and we're gonna go rescue her, too!"

She lit the stick of dynamite. Tippy decided that the best thing to do would be to listen to the nice young woman with many, many explosives, which was how he ended up sitting behind her on the motorcycle and praying he wouldn't fall off.

"Wait!" he said when she started driving away from the station. "We can't leave without Harl!"

"Don't worry, Duke said he was getting him."

"You're working with _Duke Detain?!_ "

"Long story. Anyway, you gotta tell me where I'm going, 'cause Duke said you had a secret hideout we were gonna meet up at."

Tippy started hyperventilating.

"Yeah, that's not very helpful, dude."

* * *

"I don't actually know how to open this," Duke said, squinting at the door to Tippy's hideout. "So… I guess we wait here?"

"We're going to be in so much trouble," Harl said in horror. "What are we gonna do?!"

"Well, if Daisy was telling the truth – and I think she is – then Fendrich is the one who kidnapped Evelyn, and he's somehow tricking the police into going after you and Tippy." Duke frowned. "Also, unrelated, but I think I might get fired after this."

"I think I'm going to take a nap," Harl said, and he lay down on the ground.

"None of that!" Duke pulled him back to his feet. "Here, let me get those handcuffs off. C'mon, where's the guy who saved the city? You can handle this!"

He unlocked the handcuffs and stuck them in his pocket. Harl rubbed his wrists. "You're right," he said. "I can do this. Uh, what am I doing?"

Duke grinned. "Finding and rescuing Evelyn Sinclair," he said. "But first, we gotta wait for Tippy and Daisy."

Shortly after the words left his mouth, a motorcycle pulled up. "Got him!" Daisy said with a laugh as Tippy fell off and landed face-down into the dirt. "What's the plan, boys?"

Harl gasped and rushed to Tippy's side. "Tippy! Are you okay?!"

"I think I prefer Duke's driving," Tippy said, picking himself up as best he could in handcuffs. "Less explosions."

Once Duke took off his handcuffs, Tippy approached the door. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he said. "Fendrich knows about this place, you know."

Duke shrugged. "Yeah, but how fast can he get here? You were in police custody until like, fifteen minutes ago."

"Very well." He took a deep breath and raised his hands. "We need to make a plan."

As soon as he opened the door, someone crashed into him. "Tippy! You're okay!"

Harl panicked for a moment before he recognized the woman hugging Tippy. "Betty?" he said. "How did you know we were here?"

"Fendrich sent us." Hank stepped out from inside with a lopsided grin. "Don't worry, we're not telling him anything."

"I'm so confused," Duke said, holding a pair of handcuffs. "Big Betty and Hacksaw Hank? What's going on?"

Betty released Tippy and wiped her eyes. "We volunteered to guard this place and alert Fendrich if we saw you," she said. "But, like Hank said, we're not actually going to do that. Not after what he did to Evelyn."

"Evelyn!" Tippy's eyes widened. "What happened? Is she hurt?"

"Why don't you come inside," Hank said. "Probably safer that way."

* * *

There was only one chair inside the hideout, so they all sat in a circle on the floor instead. "So my stepfather really did kidnap Evelyn," Tippy said. "I… I knew he must have, but hearing it confirmed…"

"He asked me to do it, first," Daisy said. "I was gonna warn her, but then I got arrested."

"Y'know," said Duke, "I thought that warrant seemed suspicious. The police haven't been…" He hesitated. "Well, let's just say I'm only a little bit completely torn up by guilt inside about breaking Daisy, Harl, and Tippy out of there and probably losing my job forever."

Hank patted him on the back. "That's rough," he said. "You wanna talk about it?"

"I can feel Cubby the Cop watching me from above. Judging me." He shook his head. "We can talk later. What do you know about Evelyn?"

"Fendrich had some of his other goons kidnap her," Betty said. "Some new hires, I dunno their names. He said he wouldn't hurt her, and I believe him, but kidnapping's still pretty bad. I haven't actually seen her, but I know where she is."

Tippy sat up straight. "Where is she?"

"Fendrich Tower, top floor." Betty took a piece of paper out of her pocket and slid it across the floor. "Take the elevator all the way up and follow the directions."

Duke leaned over as Tippy examined the paper. "Whoa, how'd you get a map?"

Betty cracked a smile. "Most of Fendrich's crooks have been working for him a long, long time. We knew Evelyn and Tippy when they were kids, and we care about them. There's a reason he had to get the new hires on the job."

Harl spoke up. "But how are we going to get to her?" he said. "We're all wanted criminals, and Fendrich Tower is in the middle of the city. We'll be caught before we even get close!"

"I have an idea," Tippy said. "Betty, Hank, I'm going to need to ask a favor."

"Anything, dude," Hank said. "What is it?"

"Could you get us in contact with Mary Sinclair?"

* * *

Mary was having, frankly, a horrible day. Bill was in his room, trying to comfort Alice and Mason, and Mary herself had gone to her office to try and figure out her next course of action. The police were no help – if Duke Detain had freed Harl and Tippy, he was obviously working for Fendrich, but Mary hadn't expected him to take that drastic of an action, and neither did her contacts inside the station. She hissed out a breath and rubbed her forehead. She could feel a headache starting to develop already.

Her phone rang. She picked it up with only the slightest hesitation. "Sinclair speaking."

"Hi!" the voice on the other end chirped. "It's me, helpful Harl Hubbs! Please don't call the police on us –"

"Harl?!" Sinclair shouted, slamming her fist on the desk. "How did you get this number?!"

"I'm really sorry!" He almost sounded genuine, too. "We need your help!"

"I'm sorry, but my daughter-in-law has just been kidnapped, and I am in no mood to play nice with the people who kidnapped her!"

"We didn't kidnap Evelyn, it was Fendrich!"

"And you're working for him! I'm not stupid, I know you've been _helping_ his stepson!"

"We know where she is, and we need your help to rescue her!"

Mary took a deep breath. "And why should I believe you?" she said, forcing herself to calm down.

"Because…" Harl hesitated. "Um, maybe someone else should talk to you."

Mary rolled her eyes. There was muffled scuffling on the other end, and a new voice spoke up. "Officer Duke Detain here."

"Ah, yes. I've heard about what you've done today."

"Listen, I know Tippy was secretly a master criminal, but he's not the culprit behind this. I caught him committing a completely different crime at the same time as the kidnapping – he couldn't have been involved in both!"

"And is that why you blew up the police station?"

"Please don't remind me, it's bad enough hearing it from Cubby."

"What?"

"I know you have no reason to trust us," Duke said, "but we all want to rescue Evelyn, and we need your help to do it. We wouldn't have called you otherwise. Can you get us into Fendrich Tower?"

"No, actually, I can't. If that's the help you need, you're asking the wrong person."

There was movement on the other end again. "On the contrary," a new voice said, "you are precisely the right person."

Mary grit her teeth. "Tippy Dorman?!" she hissed. "What gives you the right –"

"We're located near the Mars mission launch site," Tippy interrupted. "I'll give you the address. Please send a car to pick us up."

"You think you can order me around –"

"I know you can't trust us –"

"Stop interrupting me!"

"– but we're trusting you," Tippy said firmly. "Send the car. We'll explain the plan once we're at your tower."

He gave her the address and hung up.

Mary put the phone down and said a number of words her mother used to scold her for saying. Fine, she thought. She'd humor them for now. If the police wouldn't do their jobs, she'd do it herself.

After taking a moment to compose herself, she picked up the phone again. "Sinclair speaking. Please prepare a car for me. I have business to attend to."


	7. Mary Sinclair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters left! I'll get them done by the end of the month. have fun!

Hank peeked out the door when they heard the car pull up. "Looks like her," he said. "Doesn't look like the police, anyway."

"Hank and I will stay," said Betty. "Fendrich will know something's up if he checks on us and we're not here."

Tippy nodded. "Thank you so much for your help," he said. "I… I can't begin to express my appreciation."

"Don't sweat it, kid," Hank said with a grin. "Now go rescue your sister."

Daisy, Duke, Harl, and Tippy filed out of the building and approached the limousine. The window rolled down and Mary Sinclair frowned at them. "You didn't say Daisy Kaboom would be coming with us," she said.

"'Sup," said Daisy.

"I'm not allowing any explosives in my car."

"Ugh! Fine, just give me a sec."

While Daisy removed the explosives on her person, Tippy walked up to the window. "Thank you," he said quietly. "I know it's hard to trust us, but –"

"I'll say," Mary interrupted. "I don't trust you one bit. But, well, the police are useless, and we haven't been able to get into Fendrich Tower, so I'm willing to hear you out."

Tippy smiled. "Thank you for that."

"Just get in."

They all piled in the car. As they started driving, Mary looked back from the passenger seat and glared. "Explain," she said. "What exactly is your plan?"

"Uh," said Harl, "I thought we were going to wait until we got to your tower?"

"I want to hear it now."

"Right," said Duke. "Tippy, can you explain?"

"We can't get into my stepfather's tower from the ground," Tippy said, "and I don't fancy our chances sneaking in a window, either. So we're going to go through the arch."

Mary raised an eyebrow. "You're going to what?"

"We'll start inside your tower, go through the arch that connects your tower to Fendrich's, and arrive at the top floor, where Evelyn is being kept." He leaned forward and handed her the map. "Betty and Hank were able to get this for us, so we know exactly where she is."

Mary looked the map over carefully. "There's one problem," she said. "There's a reason we don't allow anyone to go in the arch – it's a mess inside, and I only have half the floorplans. There's no telling what obstacles you'll run into, especially in Fendrich's half."

"It's a risk we'll have to take. They'll see us coming any other way."

"Very well." Mary handed the map back. "But I'm not sending you alone, and I'm too old to go with you myself. Bill is going with you."

"But he hates us!" Harl said. "Hates Tippy, anyway. And probably also me."

"And with good reason! But he loves Evelyn dearly, and he's already tried to storm Fendrich Tower by himself. He'll be furious if he finds out I let you go without him."

"Understood," said Duke. "Does he know you've picked us up?"

"No. I'll call him right away."

While the phone rang, Tippy took deep breaths and tried to focus. Yes, Bill Sinclair hated him, and Evelyn didn't want to see him, but she was kidnapped, and their objective was to rescue her. That was what was most important. Surely, Bill would see that.

"Bill? You're on speakerphone."

"Mom?" Bill's voice sounded panicked. "Where are you? I know you took a car – who's with you?"

"I've picked up the criminals who escaped from the police station. They have a plan to rescue Evelyn."

"You _what?!_ "

"Shush. I don't trust them, but I don't think they're working for Fendrich, and I'm willing to give their plan a shot." Mary glanced back at the group. "I'll explain once we get there, but I want you to go with them. I'll watch the kids while you're gone."

"Mom, this is –" He paused. "Can you take me off speakerphone?"

"Don't worry, Bill," Duke said. "I swear by my badge that we will get Evelyn back to you safely."

"I thought you were gonna lose your job," Daisy commented.

"Oh, right. I forgot. Uh, I swear by something else that's equally important to me. I'm sure I'll think of what it is."

"Mom," Bill said, "this is crazy! This could be a trick to get me kidnapped, too! We don't know they're not working for Fendrich!"

"If you don't want to go with them, I won't make you," Mary said. "But I need someone with them I can trust, and I trust you more than anyone else. Besides, you won't be going alone. I'll send the Morris brothers with you."

Bill was quiet for a few moments. "Fine," he finally said. "But if anything goes wrong, I'm throwing Tippy out the window."

Tippy gulped. "Understood," he said.

"Could you _please_ take me off speakerphone, Mom?"

* * *

The first thing Bill did when he entered the room was punch Tippy in the face.

"Hey!" Harl yelled, catching Tippy before he hit the ground. "What was that for?!"

Bill glared at them. "I don't care if you're not working for Fendrich, this is still your fault!" he shouted. "If Evelyn hadn't tried to reconnect with you, we would've stayed at home, and she never would have been kidnapped!"

"Bill!" Mary put a hand on his shoulder. "I understand this is an emotionally-charged situation, but I need you to work together, just this once. Now, I'm going to inform the guards, while you stay here and listen to their plan."

Harl helped Tippy stand up. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Tippy rubbed his nose. "I'm fine," he said. "I… probably should have expected that."

Once Mary left, the rest of them sat down around a long table and explained the plan. Bill said nothing until they were done, sitting with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "I assume my mother already told you it's dangerous," he said. "Never mind the mess – we had to cut the power in our half because the electrical wiring was damaged when the arch formed. I have to assume Fendrich did the same in his, otherwise the whole thing would've burned down by now. It's dark, it's a maze, and we don't know how stable it is."

"I've been up on top of it," Duke said. "It seems pretty stable to me."

"Going inside it is a different story." Bill glanced out the window at Fendrich's tower. "Are you certain there's no other way?"

"Any other way risks the possibility that Fendrich will see us coming," Tippy said. "If he does, and he moves Evelyn, it'll be that more difficult to find her and get her out."

"To be clear, we're bringing her back over the arch once we reach her, correct?" Bill sighed. "Fine. We'll do it."

Daisy coughed. "Just wondering," she said, "am I getting paid for this?"

"Excuse me?"

"Fendrich was supposed to pay me, but then I refused to kidnap Evelyn and he had me arrested, so I didn't get paid."

Bill held his head in his hands. "I can't believe I'm hearing this."

"I have rent to pay, dude!"

Tippy sighed. "I'll pay your rent, Daisy," he said. "I should have enough put away to cover a month."

"I can help!" Harl said. "How much is your rent?"

Daisy grinned. "Would you believe me if I said two thousand?"

"We'll talk about this later," Duke said. "We need to prepare. Mary said she had floorplans for half the arch – that's better than nothing. Tippy, you wouldn't happen to know your way around Fendrich's half, would you?"

Tippy shook his head. "I'm afraid I've never been inside it."

"Can you still open any door?"

"Of course. What do you take me for?"

Bill stood up. "I'm going to let my children know I'll be gone for the day," he said. "I'll be back with the floorplans. Are there any other supplies you'll need?"

"I could use a hammer," Harl said. "Maybe other tools? All of mine got taken away at the police station."

"A grappling hook would be awesome," said Duke.

"More dynamite," Daisy said. "Or, like, anything that blows up."

"I am not giving you explosives. I'll see what I can do about the rest." Bill turned away. "There are guards outside the door, so don't try anything."

Tippy bit back a remark. Of course Bill wouldn't trust them so easily. He stared down at the table until he heard the door close and Harl put a hand on his back.

"It's going to be okay," he said. "We'll get your sister back, and then we'll go back home."

"I'm glad you're optimistic, Harl," Tippy said. "I'm afraid I'm not nearly as confident."

"We're all in this together, you know." Duke grinned. "I've got all the skills of a stunt-performing, probably-no-longer-a police officer, you can open any door in our way, Harl can… uh… provide moral support, and Daisy…"

"Well, I don't have explosives, but I'm not afraid to get violent."

"…Daisy can do that."

Tippy managed a smile.

* * *

Bill returned with the floorplans and the Morris brothers. One of them waved at Tippy. "Been a while," he said, and didn't elaborate.

The last time they had met was when the two of them had broken him out of jail against his will. Tippy raised an eyebrow and didn't respond.

Together, they charted a path through the arch, up to the point where they would enter Fendrich's half. Everyone but Daisy got the supplies they asked for, though Bill expressed his doubt that a grappling hook would be needed.

"Well," Duke said, "I just thought that if one of us fell out of the arch, I could use the grappling hook to save them."

Daisy rolled her eyes. "No one's going to fall from the arch, Duke."

"And if someone does, a grappling hook isn't going to save them," one of the Morris brothers added.

Duke shrugged. "At least I'm prepared."

Harl stuck his hammer in his toolbelt and grinned. "Okay! Are we ready?"

They took the elevator up as high as it went, right before the arch started to curve. The stairwell leading to the next floor was boarded up; Harl did most of the work of prying them off.

"Is everyone ready?" Bill said. "We're not coming back until we have Evelyn."

"Understood," Duke said. "Harl, Tippy, Daisy, we good?"

Daisy gave him a thumbs up. Harl looked at Tippy and took his hand. "We're ready," he said.

"Good," Bill said. "Let's go."

* * *

The first leg of their journey was through the opera house. It was mostly intact, though the floors were slanted slightly. They made it up the stairs with minimal difficulty and reached the door to the next section of the arch. "It's locked," Duke said when he tried to open it. "Tippy, you're up."

Tippy stepped forward, wiggled the handle, and opened it. "There we go," he said.

"Huh," said one of the guards. "How'd you do that without picking the lock?"

"A doorman has his ways. Let's keep moving."

"He's always been able to do this," Daisy said to Harl as they went up the next flight of stairs. "I mean, at least as long as I've known him."

"Huh," said Harl. "How long have you known him?"

"Since I was twelve, so… ten years. First time we met we explored some random building together, and he was able to unlock every door." Daisy laughed. "It's like his superpower! I wonder where he picked it up from."

Harl thought of the Open Doors Society. "Well," he said, "all that matters is what he uses it for, right?"

"What?"

"Nothing."

The curve of the building was becoming more pronounced. Inside the rooms, chairs, tables, and anything that wasn't bolted down had slid across the floor and piled against the walls. It was difficult to pick their way through the mess, and there was a moment of panic when one Morris put his foot on a window and it creaked beneath his weight.

"Careful!" Bill hissed.

"Sorry."

They kept going.

Soon, they were walking on the walls. When they reached what they assumed was the highest point of the arch, they stopped to rest. Harl's legs ached from the slope; he was grateful for the chance to sit. He motioned for Tippy to sit with him, but the other man was pacing around the room.

"Hey, Tippy," Duke said. "You should sit. You're gonna tire yourself out if you keep doing that."

"We don't know how much time we have," Tippy said. "What if Fendrich moves her to some other room? We have no way of knowing."

"If what Big Betty says is true, they're not the only allies we have working for Fendrich." Daisy let herself fall backwards on the floor. "So we'll probably have help on the inside."

"It depends on who we encounter. His new hires were the ones who kidnapped her, so if we run into them…"

"You're worrying too much," Daisy said.

"I think I'm worrying the correct amount," Tippy snapped.

"Five more minutes," Bill said. "Then we keep moving."

Daisy groaned, but after five minutes, she got up without complaint.

When the arch began to curve down, they paused. "I would rather not start going through all the doors upside-down," Bill said. "Let's make the switch to Fendrich's half."

The question then became how they were going to do that.

Fendrich's and Sinclair's towers overlapped to create the arch, so they found a window with a narrow gap between the two halves. It was on the ceiling, relative to them, and it took the Morris brothers holding up Bill to open it. Once he could stick his head through, he reported another window leading to Fendrich's tower, but there was barely enough room to crawl to it.

"Okay," said Duke. "We're gonna need someone to crawl over and open that other window. Any volunteers?"

"Can we do that from outside?" Morris asked.

"Good point," Morris said. "We'll have to break it, and then there'll be glass shards."

Duke frowned. "But I don't see any other way…"

"I'll do it," said Tippy. "I'm wearing gloves, that will give me some protection from the glass. Harl, I need your hammer."

"Okay," said Harl.

He gave Tippy the hammer and, after a moment of thought, leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Be careful," he said while Tippy's face turned red. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Tippy put a hand to his cheek. "Thank you," he said softly, and turned away. Harl smiled.

Duke and the Morris brothers helped Tippy up to the window. "Remember, breaking the glass is a last resort," Duke said. "Try to avoid it if possible."

"Understood. Can you lift me up a little higher…?"

With some difficulty, Tippy managed to climb out the window and crawl out of sight. Harl watched him, twisting his hands together. "Tippy?" he said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Harl," Tippy called back. "I'm at the window, but it's latched from the inside."

"Any chance of getting it unlatched?" Duke asked.

"Not that I can see."

"I thought you were good with locks," Bill said.

"No, I'm good with doors. Windows are an entirely different matter." Tippy paused. "I think I have to break it."

"Check to see if it's tempered!" Daisy called up. "Non-tempered glass will break into big shards that can rip you open, but tempered glass is at least a little safer, though harder to break."

Bill raised an eyebrow. "How do you know this?"

"I'm a crook. Sometimes, I break windows."

"Uh," said Tippy, "how do I know if it's tempered?"

After some discussion between Daisy and Tippy, they decided it was probably tempered, being part of a relatively new construction, but to treat it as if it wasn't. Harl heard Tippy shift position and a hard _tap_ of the hammer against glass.

Duke laughed. "You gotta give it more force than that!"

"It cracked," Tippy said, "but it didn't break."

"Tempered glass," Daisy said. "Hit it again."

The next sound Harl heard was shattering glass, accompanied by Tippy's yelp. "Ow!"

"Tippy?!" Harl cried. "Are you okay?"

"Are you bleeding?" Daisy called. "How bad?"

"Nicked my arm. Sleeve wasn't up all the way. I'm fine."

"Do you need a tourniquet? Are you dying?"

"Daisy, I said I was fine."

"Can I speak at your funeral? Oh, Tippy, I knew him well. He was a nerd."

"I'm opening the window now."

Tippy got the window open, cleared the area of glass, and called down for the rest to come through. Harl went second, after Duke. It was a tight squeeze, crawling between the two buildings, and Harl couldn't help but imagine being crushed in the middle. It was a relief when Tippy helped him through the next window.

"Can I see your arm?" Harl asked.

"If you want." Tippy pushed up his sleeve to reveal a small wound just below the wrist. "I didn't realize I had exposed skin, so when the glass broke, I got cut. I'll be fine."

Harl examined the wound. It didn't look deep, but it was bleeding. "Do we have a first aid kid? We should make sure it doesn't get infected."

"Harl, really. I'll be fine."

"Still…"

"Are you lovebirds done yet?" Daisy said from outside. "'Cause I need help getting in."

Tippy and Harl took a step back from each other, their faces flushed. Duke laughed and went to help Daisy.

Finally, everyone was through. "It's going to be a little harder to get through here," Bill said. "We need to memorize our route, so we can get Evelyn back quickly."

"I think we're good," Duke said. "C'mon, we're almost there."

* * *

The arch slowly curved back down until they were walking on the floor again. The group stopped talking amongst each other, treading carefully. Harl's heart was pounding. The floor was almost level – that must mean they were close.

"I hate to be a buzzkill," Daisy whispered, making them all flinch, "but do we have to worry about the people under us hearing our footsteps?"

"I didn't think of that," Bill said. "We have to be careful. I'm not sure what else we can do."

The next door Tippy unlocked led to a stairwell. They shut the door carefully behind them and crept down. Harl had somehow ended up at the back of the group, separated from Tippy at the front. He made to move past the others, but Tippy raised a hand and they all froze.

There were voices behind the last door.

" _I'm_ being unreasonable? You're keeping me here against my will!"

Harl suppressed a gasp.

The voice that responded was too quiet to make out, compared to Evelyn's shout. Tippy pressed his ear to the door. Bill crouched next to him.

"Shut up!" That was Evelyn again. "You separated me from my family – more family than _you_ are – and you expect me to be _calm?_ To sit there and take it, like my brother?"

Tippy flinched. Harl so desperately wanted to go comfort him, but he was frozen in place. What if Fendrich heard them?

"Tippy," Fendrich said loudly, and Harl couldn't hear the rest.

"I don't care!" Evelyn shouted.

There was a loud _thud,_ and Fendrich raised his voice enough for all of them to hear. "So now you're throwing things?!"

"Let me go!"

"Not until you agree to at least –"

"You kidnapped me! How do you _possibly_ think you're in the right?"

Fendrich lowered his voice again, and they couldn't hear his response. Evelyn shouted, "Fine!" and a door slammed.

The seconds that passed felt like hours. There was a faint light underneath the door, and Harl thought he saw shadows moving. Finally, Tippy slowly got to his feet and opened the door a crack. When nothing happened, he opened it wider and stepped through.

The room they were in looked like a hotel lobby, with comfortable chairs and potted plants. After the silence in the arch, Harl could hear the hum of electricity in the lights above them. There was a hall ahead and to their left, but they couldn't see around the corner.

Tippy moved forward. Bill grabbed his arm and yanked him back.

Tippy stumbled backwards into one of the Morris brothers. Harl let out a tiny squeak. Bill kept going forward, only to freeze when a voice spoke.

"Did you hear something?"

"I dunno. You wanna check the elevator?"

"It sounded like the noise came from that way, though…"

"Dude, there's nothing over there. Unless one of the plants grew legs and started walking around."

"Yeah, I get your point. It was probably nothing."

Duke waved at Bill to get his attention and spread his hands in front of him. Bill pointed at Tippy. Duke shook his head. Harl had no idea what was going on.

So caught up in their silent conversation, he didn't notice Daisy had walked up ahead until she was rounding the corner.

"Hey, dudes!" she called out. "What's up?"

Bill and Duke froze mid-gesture. The guards shifted nervously. Tippy ran a hand over his face.

"Daisy Kaboom?" said one of the voices. "How did you get up here?"

"Window," Daisy said. "Sorry for the noise. I tried to be quiet, but –"

"Okay," the other voice interrupted. "You did not come in through a window on the top floor. How'd you even get that high? Why are you here? This is very suspicious, you know."

"Uh…"

"I'm checking out the plants."

When the man in a mask entered the room, Duke grabbed him and threw him to the ground. "Hey!" the crook yelped. "There's people over here!"

"We gotta tell –"

The remaining crook was interrupted by the sound of fist hitting face. "You're not telling anyone anything," Daisy said. "Hey, Evelyn, you in here?"

"Daisy?" came Evelyn's voice. "What's going on?"

"Evelyn!" Bill ran around the corner. "We've come to rescue you!"

" _Bill?_ "

"For the record," Morris said, "that was a really, really stupid idea on Kaboom's part."

Morris nodded in agreement.

Duke straightened up after cuffing the crook at his feet. "Too late now," he said. "C'mon!"

He ran to join Daisy and Bill. The Morris brothers looked at each other before following. Tippy didn't move, standing stiff in the middle of the room. Harl grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"The door's locked!" Daisy shouted. "Tippy, get over here!"

Tippy looked at Harl with a terrified expression. Harl nodded. "She needs your help," he said.

"Tippy! Any minute now!"

Tippy took a deep breath and walked forward, Harl at his side. "Step aside," he said to Bill, who was tugging at the doorknob. "I need space."

Bill took a step back. Tippy turned the knob and opened it effortlessly.

"Bill!" Evelyn pushed through the door and collided with her husband in a hug. "Bill! You came for me!"

"He had help," Duke commented.

Evelyn ignored him in favor of sobbing and burying her face into Bill's shoulder. Bill held her tight and rubbed her back with one hand. "It's okay," he said. "It's okay. We're going home now."

"We can't waste time!" Duke finished cuffing the second crook and stood back up. "C'mon, back to the arch!"

Evelyn let go of Bill and rubbed her nose. Her eyes fell on Tippy for a moment before she looked away. "We're going home," she echoed. "Okay. Let's go."


	8. R.E. Fendrich

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELCOME to Not Sunday but here's a chapter! have fun! the last chapter should be going up… tomorrow, probably!

In addition to the handcuffs, Duke tied up the two men who were guarding Evelyn, and the group went back to the stairwell. "This is how you got here?" Evelyn said. "All the way from Sinclair Tower?"

"It was Tippy's idea," Daisy said. "Don't think it would've worked any other way."

Tippy glanced at Evelyn, but she wasn't looking at him. He lagged at the rear of the group and shut the door behind them, fiddling with the doorknob before running a few steps to catch up.

"What was that?" Harl asked.

"Locking the door," Tippy said. "That should slow down Fendrich if he follows us."

"Oh! Good idea!"

"Keep moving," one of the Morris brothers said. "We're not safe until we're back in Sinclair Tower."

They didn't get far before they heard a shout from behind them. "Sinclair!"

"That's Fendrich," Daisy said. "You think he'll follow us himself or just send his goons to do it?"

"I don't care," Bill said. "I'll throw them out the window, whoever it is."

"Please don't throw my stepfather to his death, Bill," Evelyn said. "Or anyone, really."

"Eve, you know I'm not serious."

"Yeah, and I didn't think Fendrich was serious until I was taken from my room in the middle of the night."

There was noise behind them, but they were able to keep ahead of whoever was following them. As they moved through the rooms, Tippy locked every door he could, in the hopes it would slow them down. It didn't seem to be helping.

When they reached the window to Sinclair Tower, a problem became obvious.

"We can only go through here one at a time," Duke said. "And there's eight of us. They're gonna catch up."

"Sinclair had us accompany you for a reason," Morris said. "Evelyn, Bill, you go first. We'll go last. The rest of you, figure something out."

"I call third!" Daisy said immediately.

Tippy looked back behind them, hearing many pairs of footsteps. "We don't have time to waste," he said. "Fendrich or whoever he sent will be here any moment."

Bill nodded. "Evelyn, you first."

Evelyn lowered herself through the window and made it to the other side with minimal difficulty. Bill followed close behind, all the while footsteps came closer and closer. Daisy was next, and Duke motioned for Tippy to go in after her.

He hesitated. "Harl, you should –"

"I know you're in there!"

Fendrich's shout was accompanied by a loud _thump_ of something hitting the door behind them. "It's locked, sir," another voice added. "Like all the other ones."

"Then break it down! Like all the other ones!"

Harl grabbed Tippy's arm. "You go! You're his stepson!"

"Harl…" Tippy shook his head. "That's precisely why I have to speak to him."

"One of you has to go," Duke said. "Or, uh, I could, I guess? Somehow that doesn't feel right."

The door crashed forward off its hinges. "There we go!" Fendrich said, stepping over it. "Now, we're all adults here, there's no need to be unreasonable. Tippy, what are you doing?"

Four of Fendrich's hires followed him; two men Tippy didn't recognize, and a man and a woman he did. Clara averted her eyes when Tippy looked at her, and Vito pretended to be very interested in his tie. Fendrich crossed his arms and frowned at the remainder of the group. Tippy mirrored the gesture and met his stepfather's stern expression.

"What do you think I'm doing?" he said. "I'm helping Evelyn return home."

He glanced behind him. No one had followed Daisy through the window. He motioned at Harl to go through, but he shook his head.

Fendrich snorted. "I don't know what she told you, but it's not like I hurt her. All I wanted was to talk."

"You literally kidnapped her," Duke commented.

"Duke! So nice to see you –"

"Save it!" Duke snapped. "You can't fool me anymore – I know you're a criminal!"

Fendrich raised an eyebrow. "Really," he said. "Do you have any evidence?"

"After this? Sure I will!"

"Is anyone else coming?" Daisy yelled from the other half of the arch. "What's going on?"

Tippy shook his head. "You've gone too far this time, Fendrich," he said. "What made you think this was a good idea?"

Fendrich snorted. "Oh, yeah, like I want to be lectured by the guy who tried to take over the world with a magic rock."

Tippy flinched. "This has nothing to do with that," he said, with less force than he intended.

"I think it's worth a discussion." Fendrich took a step forward. "We've barely spoken since you pulled that stunt! Maybe we can take a moment to catch up, huh?"

"This really isn't the time," Duke said. "We've gotta get moving. Tippy, Harl, let's go."

He motioned to the window. Harl tugged on Tippy's arm. "C'mon…"

"Fine," Tippy said. "Let's catch up, then. Harl, you can go, if you want."

Harl shook his head. "I'm staying with you."

One of the Morris brothers spoke up. "I don't feel good leaving Evelyn and Bill unattended, so I'm going across," he said. "You do you."

He stepped into the window and disappeared through it. Fendrich watched him go, tapping his foot. "Well?" he said. "I don't have all day, you know."

Tippy frowned. "What was your purpose in kidnapping Evelyn?" he asked. "You said you wanted to talk to her. About what?"

"That's not the kind of catching up I was expecting. Thought you'd at least start off with a, 'How are you?' or something like that."

"Answer the question."

Fendrich spread his hands out in front of him. "Come on, she married Sinclair's son! I wanted to, y'know, ask her about that, maybe convince her to split with him, just normal stuff!"

"Convince her to –" Duke's eyebrows shot up. "You would get between her and the one she loves?"

Fendrich made a dismissive gesture. "I told her she could still be romantically involved with him, if that's what she wants, but that'd I'd _really appreciate it_ if she didn't, y'know, take his surname. If she legally got divorced, hey, that'd be even better."

"Evelyn has two kids," Tippy said.

"Yeah? So?"

"Don't you think there might be a reason she wouldn't want to put her kids through that sort of hardship, especially since she doesn't _want_ to divorce him in the first place?"

"Sometimes it's the best option! I thought you two would understand that more than anyone!"

Tippy ran a hand over his face. "Fendrich, Evelyn doesn't want you in her life. Stop trying to insert yourself into it. Please, go back to your tower, and leave her alone."

"Really," Fendrich said. "After everything the Fendrich family has done for you two, you want to leave it?"

"I didn't say that. She might want to distance herself from you, but I don't." Tippy smiled. "I haven't forgotten how you supported me as a teenager, and our mother when she was ill. I told you before, Fendrich – you're family, and I love you."

Silence followed his words. Fendrich furrowed his brow and stared at him. Harl squeezed his arm.

"Fine," Fendrich said. "Then could I have a chat with you in private?"

Tippy only hesitated for a moment before he said, "Of course," and took a step forward.

Harl pulled him back. "Tippy!" he said. "Don't do it!"

"I'll be fine, Harl." Tippy gently pried Harl's fingers off his arm. "Don't worry, I'll be quick."

"That's not what I'm worried about!" Harl glanced at Fendrich and lowered his voice. "He just kidnapped your sister, Tippy. How do you know you'll be safe?"

"Harl, I promise, I'll be careful. I know what my stepfather is capable of, and he wouldn't hurt me."

Harl shook his head. "I just –"

Tippy cupped Harl's cheek and turned his head to face him. "Harl," he said, "I promise I'll come back to you."

Fendrich coughed. "Are you done yet?" he said. "Time's a-wasting!"

Harl put his hand over the one on his cheek. "Okay," he said. "I trust you."

Tippy smiled and took his hand away, turning back towards Fendrich. "And you'll leave Evelyn alone?" he said. "You won't force her to do what you want?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, just get over here."

Tippy nodded and walked over. Fendrich put an arm around his shoulders and led him through to the next room, stepping on the broken door as they went.

"I gotta say," Fendrich said, "I really appreciate how much you appreciate me! After everything I've done for you, of course."

Tippy nodded. "Your support was invaluable to me growing up. Of course I would appreciate that."

"Right, right. It's unfortunate that your sister doesn't feel the same way."

"She…" Tippy hesitated. "…didn't connect with you the same way I did. You were always just the person our mother married, to her."

"Clearly." They went through another room. Fendrich glanced behind them. "Okay, I think we're far enough now."

"What?"

Fendrich took his arm away and snapped his fingers. The crooks that had come along with them grabbed Tippy and pulled his arms back. Tippy's eyes widened. "What are you –"

"Can't have you helping _Sinclair_ of all people," Fendrich said. "Alright, guys, tie him up and throw him in that closet. Make sure he can't yell for help, either."

"You can't –" A hand clamped over his mouth, muffling his shouts. All of Tippy's struggles were unable to prevent them from tying his legs together and his hands behind his back. Soon he was bound, gagged, and placed in a closet. Tippy stared at Fendrich in horror, still straining against the rope.

"Sorry, stepson," Fendrich said. "I'll let you out once I'm back with Evelyn. Until then, sit tight."

He heard Clara whisper, "Sorry about this," before the door shut and Tippy was left in darkness.

* * *

Fendrich came back without Tippy. "Okay," he said to Harl, Duke, and remaining Morris, "let's get to business."

"Where's Tippy?!" Harl demanded. "You said you wouldn't hurt him!"

"Calm down, of course I didn't hurt him. Tippy decided to head back to my tower for the time being. You can join him if you want."

Harl squinted at him. Was he lying? What details was Harl supposed to look for? Fendrich looked… confident, that was all. Harl ran his eyes over the two crooks, who mostly looked intimidating. Was he telling the truth? Tippy had agreed to a private chat – maybe he had gone to Fendrich's tower to "catch up."

Harl put a hand to his cheek and remembered Tippy's touch.

"You're lying," he said.

Fendrich raised an eyebrow. "What?" he said. "Good, kind, trusting Harl Hubbs thinks I'm lying?"

"You're lying!" Harl said again, raising his voice. "Tippy promised he'd come back! You – you did something with him!"

"You don't know that! Maybe he's the one who lied."

One of the crooks spoke up. "Nah, you got us. He's tied up in a closet a few rooms back."

Fendrich snapped his head around to glare at her. "Clara, what are you doing?!"

She shrugged. "Sorry, boss. Guess I have a soft spot for the kid I spent long nights playing Risk with. Though, thinking back, spending all that time as teenagers playing a board game where you take over the world might've had something to do with his attempt to _actually_ take over the world, so… my bad, I guess."

Harl tried to run past them, but the other crook blocked his way. Harl clenched his fists. "Let me through!" he snapped.

"Huh," said the man, "I don't think I've ever seen you angry before. That's new."

"I'll tell you what's new! My fist in your face!"

"Like you would –"

Harl punched him. The crook fell backwards, clutching his bleeding nose. "Ow!" he yelped. "He actually did it!"

Clara rolled her eyes. "Vito, you deserved that."

Harl ran to the next door, ignoring Fendrich's shouts behind him. "Tippy!" he called out. "Tippy, where are you?!"

He heard something _thump_ in the next room and skidded to a stop. "Tippy? Was that you?"

Another noise. Harl's eyes fell on a closet door. When he opened it, Tippy fell out on top of him. Harl gasped. "Tippy!"

It took a few moments for Harl to undo the gag and start on the ropes. Tippy started babbling as soon as the gag was off. "Harl, you were right, I shouldn't have trusted him – I thought we were family, I thought – how could he do this? Harl –"

"I know, Tippy," Harl said. He freed Tippy's hands and moved to untie his feet. "I'm just glad you're okay."

He helped Tippy to his feet and looked around. "Where did the other people Fendrich hired go?" he asked. "There were only two of them when he came back…"

Tippy shook his head. "There were four of them here, not including Fendrich himself. I – I don't know, Harl, I…"

His whole body was trembling. Harl looked back at the closet, then carefully sat Tippy down on the floor. "Are you okay?" he asked. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No, but…" Tippy tried to stand. "We can't waste time, we have to make sure Evelyn's safe."

Harl grabbed his arm. "Evelyn has Bill, Duke, Sinclair's guards, and… Daisy, I think. I want to make sure you're okay."

"Well, I"m not," Tippy said. "My world is falling apart. I have to focus on helping my sister, or else I'll fall apart, too. I don't know what's going to happen to me when this is over. Go to jail, probably. And then what? Paradoors isn't real and my stepfather doesn't love me. What am I supposed to do?"

He sniffed and rubbed his eyes. Harl's heart ached. He pulled Tippy to his chest and held him there while the other man sobbed.

"It's going to be okay," he said. "No matter what happens, I'll stay with you. Okay? We can keep spending the nights together. I don't want that to end. Let's stay together, okay?"

Tippy pressed his face into Harl's shoulder and let out a muffled whine. "I must look pathetic, don't I?" he said. "Hardly a distinguished doorman."

"It's okay, Tippy. I don't mind. I'll always be here to help you."

"You're a good man, Harl. I'm sorry I took advantage of that in the past."

They stayed like that for a few moments longer, holding each other in the middle of the sideways room. They let go only when they heard movement beneath them.

"Huh," Harl said. "Where's that coming from?"

Tippy let go of Harl and wiped his eyes. "It must be from the lower level of the arch," he said, standing up. "Sinclair's half. I don't know why anyone would be there, other than Evelyn and the rest…"

"Do you think there's another way into it?" Harl looked in the direction of Fendrich Tower. "If Fendrich sent those two people…"

Tippy stood up. "No more waiting around," he said. "We need to investigate."

* * *

They found a room with a window that led directly to another open window in Sinclair's tower. "I'll go first," Tippy said. "It doesn't look like there's glass, but I have gloves, so –"

"But Tippy, I also have gloves."

Tippy looked at Harl's hands and blinked, like he was seeing them for the first time. "You do. Why didn't you volunteer to break the window, earlier?"

Harl gave him a small smile. "I thought you wanted to."

"Well then. You go first this time."

Harl nodded. Tippy watched as he carefully lowered himself through the window. Once he dropped down on the other side, he looked up and waved for Tippy to follow.

Tippy stumbled when he hit the ground and fell to one knee, hissing in pain. Harl moved to help him up, but he shook his head. "I'm fine," he said, getting back to his feet. "Keep moving."

They navigated "down" a flight of sideways stairs and approached the door to the next room, closed above them. Tippy heard shuffling on the other side. He glanced at Harl, who nodded, and they pushed the door open together.

"Hey!" a voice shouted. "Who's there?"

Harl poked his head through the opening. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be with –"

He cut himself off with a gasp. Tippy pulled himself up to see what was going on.

Fendrich's new hires were standing there, holding Evelyn between them. Tippy locked eyes with her for a moment before she tried to pull herself free again, but the crooks had a tight grip on each of her arms. Tippy pulled himself up through the opening with a sudden burst of strength and stood to face them.

"Let her go," he said.

"Or what?" one of the crooks demanded.

Tippy grit his teeth. "Or else I'm going to hurt someone," he said.

Evelyn's eyes widened. "Tippy –"

The other crook laughed. "I'd like to see you try!" he said.

Tippy ran forward and aimed a punch at him. He stopped laughing in time to duck out of the way, releasing Evelyn in the process. Evelyn twisted around and hit her other captor in the stomach and he let go of her other arm. She took the chance to put distance between them, moving to Harl's side.

"Tippy, let's go!" Harl shouted.

"One moment," Tippy said, and he slammed his elbow into the back of the crook's head.

"Tippy!" Evelyn shouted. "I'm free! Let's move!"

Tippy looked back at them just as the crook grabbed him around the waist. Tippy yelped and tried to kick him. His foot connected, and the crook grimaced in pain and threw Tippy to the side, onto a large window with the city beneath it.

"Hey!" Harl took out his hammer and ran forward. "You –"

With a groan, Tippy sat up and moved to stand when a loud _crack_ sounded from beneath him.

Harl froze and looked back at him. The window Tippy was on top of groaned under his weight. Tippy's eyes widened and he reached for solid ground just as the entire frame broke out from underneath him.

Tippy barely managed to grab the wall before he fell with the rest of the window. For an agonizing moment, he dangled over the drop by one hand, and his arm ached and his hand was slipping and he was going to _fall_ –

Then Harl grabbed his arm.

"I've got you," he said, his voice shaking. "I've got you. You're going to be okay."

Evelyn ran over and took hold of his other arm. While she and Harl struggled to pull him up, Tippy heard footsteps approaching, and Fendrich's voice. "What's the hold up – Tippy!"

More hands reached down through the window, latching on to whatever part of Tippy they could reach. "You're gonna be fine," Duke said. "We've got you."

"Yeah, dude," said Daisy, staring at him with wide eyes. "You're not gonna fall."

Bill braced himself with his free arm against the wall. "Okay, everyone, on three –"

Slowly, they pulled Tippy back inside.

Tippy could barely think, his body still tense from fear. He breaths came out in gasps. Dimly, he was aware of Harl hugging him again, but he couldn't hear what he was saying.

Evelyn's voice rang out.

"This is over, Fendrich!" she shouted. "Tippy almost _died_ trying to save me!"

Fendrich protested. "I just wanted –"

"I don't care what you wanted! You clearly don't care about what I want! If you have any capability within you to care about my brother and I, you'll leave us alone!"

Silence followed her words, broken by Fendrich's loud sigh. "Okay," he said, "okay. Come on, gang, we're leaving."


	9. Tippy Freeman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the power move of giving a character the surname "freeman" when half life is surging in popularity…
> 
> anyway, the end! hope you enjoyed the story! I'll be writing more LCA stuff soon, probably. comment if u enjoyed, and check me out at tumblr user legoshipping. thank you for reading!

Of course, Harl, Tippy, Daisy, and Duke all faced prison time. After the trial, Harl and Tippy got four hours each for breaking into the museum. For the damage to the police station, Daisy got six hours, and Duke got twelve, which Mary Sinclair thought was ridiculous. She told Harl and Tippy as much when they were released. "He did a lot of good, helping to rescue Evelyn," she said on the drive to Sinclair Tower. "So what if he broke you two out of jail? Daisy was the one who blew up the station! I should have a talk with my people on the inside."

"Y'know," Harl said, "you having power over the police department isn't as reassuring as you think it is."

Tippy nodded, then spoke up. "Is someone picking up Daisy when she gets out?" he asked. "I assumed you wanted to speak to all of us…"

"Not for this, no. This is exclusively for you and Harl."

Tippy glanced at Harl, who looked just as confused as he was. Mary smiled at them from the passenger's seat before turning to face forward again.

The drive didn't take long; they soon arrived at Sinclair Tower. Mary still didn't explain why she wanted them there, staying silent with a small smile throughout the elevator ride. "I'm assuming this has something to do with recent events," Tippy said when they exited. "I'm not expecting any sort of reward, so –"

A child crashed into him. "Hi, Uncle Tippy!"

Tippy gasped. The little girl grinned up at him, hugging his waist. "Mommy said you rescued her," she said, "an' that you're my uncle, an' I should hug you right away!"

Evelyn walked out of the next room with a smile. "She's one of those kids who can't keep a secret," she said while TIppy gaped at her. "Don't tell her anything you don't want her to repeat to everyone she knows."

"I…" Tippy shook his head. "I thought you said…"

"I said a lot of things at that diner." Evelyn sat down on the couch. "I regret most of them. Mason will be joining us soon. He's a little shy, so I told him he could take his time."

Tippy nodded and knelt down to look the girl in the eyes. "You're… Alice, right?" he said, as if he could have forgotten.

She nodded and beamed at him. "Yeah! My brother's Mason. He's weird. You're my mom's brother, 'cause that's what 'uncle' means. Are you weird?"

He laughed. "Some would call me that, yes."

Mary chuckled and sat in a chair across from Evelyn. "How about you three sit over here?" she said. "Alice, you can tell your uncle how excited you are to start first grade."

Tippy blinked. "Three of us?"

Harl laughed. "Did you forget me?" he said. "It's okay! You probably have a lot on your mind."

"Oh! Right!" Tippy's face flushed. "I'm sorry, Harl, I…"

Alice giggled. "You are weird," she said. "C'mon, let's sit with Mommy."

She picked up his hand and tugged him over to the couch. Tippy sat next to Evelyn, Harl sat on his other side, and Alice threw herself backwards on the floor with a _thud_ that made Mary gasp. "Alice! Don't hurt yourself!"

"I'm okay, Gramma." Alice sat up again. "I'm gonna get Mason."

She stood up and ran into the next room. Evelyn watched her go with a smile.

Tippy felt a lump in his throat. "Evelyn," he said.

"Oh!" Evelyn turned to him and Harl. "I forgot to ask… you two are together, right? I want to be sure before I introduce my kids to their Uncle Harl."

Harl sputtered incoherently. When Tippy looked at him, his face was almost as red as his flannel. Tippy himself felt his own cheeks burning. "We're, ah," he said, looking back to Evelyn, "not… officially together, no." His hands twitched in his lap. "Not that I have any problem with making it official, but we haven't… had that conversation."

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"We've had conversations!" Harl added. "But, they weren't… uh…"

"What I'm hearing is that I can hold off on explaining gay relationships to Alice for today."

Tippy nodded, too embarrassed to speak.

Evelyn cracked a smile. "Well, let me know when the conversation happens. I'll support you no matter what, Tippy." She leaned over to look at Harl. "You too, Harl, if you end up part of our family."

Harl laughed and put an arm around Tippy's shoulders. "I'd like to be!" he said. "But I guess we have to talk about it first, right, Tippy?"

"Right," Tippy said. "Right. I…"

He looked at Evelyn, who laughed. "Later, okay?" she said. "After you've met Alice and Mason."

Alice came back with a slightly older boy in tow. "Mason's here!" she announced. "Mason, this is our Uncle Tippy!"

"Don't drag him, Alice." Evelyn leaned forward. "Mason, are you feeling better?"

"I'm fine, Mommy," Mason said. He kept his distance from Tippy and Harl and stood next to Mary's chair. Tippy tried to give him a reassuring smile.

"Hi, Mason," he said. "Your birthday's soon, isn't it?"

Mason regarded him suspiciously. "How'd you know?" he asked.

"I told him," Evelyn said. "He's invited to your party, by the way."

"I am?" Tippy said in surprise.

"If you can pull yourself away from the city long enough, yes. It's at our home, a week from Saturday. You don't have to come, but…"

Tippy took a deep breath. "Evelyn, I'm sorry, but we need to talk before I make any promises. Could we step outside?"

Evelyn glanced at Mary, who nodded. "I'll watch the kids," she said. "Discuss what you need to."

The two of them went to the next room over. Tippy's heart was pounding. He took a deep breath and put a hand over his chest. "Evelyn," he said, "what's going on?"

"I thought that was obvious," she said. "I'm inviting you to be a part of our family again."

"The last time we spoke, it didn't sound like that would be a possibility."

Evelyn looked away. "Yeah," she said. "Then you almost died, and I realized what was more important."

"Evelyn…"

"Listen," she said, "I've always been someone who runs away from my problems. Mom died, and I holed myself up in my room. You got sucked into a cult, and I went to college and cut off all contact. That's not what I should've done. I should've been there for you. And then when I talked to you at the diner… I was trying to justify it. Make myself believe that running away was the right thing to do. It wasn't. I'm sorry."

Tippy struggled for words. "It's fine, Evelyn. I'm sorry, too."

Evelyn looked back at him with a small smile. "I notice you aren't arguing with me about calling it a cult."

"I don't know what it was," Tippy said. "I… I'm willing to believe that's what it could have been."

"I think your issue is you're a problem-solver, even when the problem is unsolvable. Is that fair?"

Tippy nodded. "It could be. I didn't want to accept the world as it was, where tragic events happened with no one to blame. So when an alternative world was proposed to me, I… gave up on this one."

"I can understand that," Evelyn said. "I hope you learn to see the good things here."

Tippy smiled. "Harl's been a great help."

Evelyn returned the smile and opened her arms. Tippy gratefully accepted the hug. They held each other in silence, Tippy trying to will away his tears. When they separated, he rubbed his eyes and tried to laugh it off.

"I'm glad you're here, Tippy," Evelyn said.

"Me too," he said. "Me too."

* * *

They made a plan for Tippy and Harl to come to Mason's birthday party. Mason himself didn't seem keen on the idea, though Evelyn promised Tippy he'd warm up to him. "Just make sure you bring him a good present," she said. "I'll let you know what he likes."

When Tippy and Harl left the building, they were immediately accosted by Daisy. "Hey!" she said, crossing her arms. "Where's my money?"

Tippy chuckled. "Honestly, I hoped you would forget about that, after everything that happened.."

"Yeah, you almost died and junk. So what? My rent's due in like, a week!"

"Did you just get out of jail?" Harl asked. "How did you know we were here?"

Daisy shrugged. "I was gonna see if Sinclair would give me a reward, but hey, you're here instead. So how 'bout it?"

"Well…" Tippy sighed. "I can't get it to you right away. Give me a day or two."

"Ugh! Fine."

Tippy rolled his eyes. "I'll be in contact with you," he said. "Goodbye."

He walked away with Harl, only to stop when Daisy called after him. "Hey, Tippy?"

Tippy looked back over his shoulder. Daisy smiled. "I'm glad you're alright," she said. "Y'know. All things considered."

"You too," he responded. "See you around, Daisy."

* * *

Harl volunteered to pick up Duke when he was released. While he prepared to do that, Tippy went to his apartment. He put a quick lunch in the microwave and picked out some clothes to take to Harl's place while it cooked. As cramped as the apartment was, they had decided to spend the night there, seeing as Harl had spent so many nights in Tippy's apartment. Besides, Harl's bed was bigger.

While he ate, footsteps approached his door. Tippy stood up and moved to open it for them, but hesitated; Harl was out, and he didn't know who else would visit him. He took a step back and waited for them to knock.

"Tippy? You home?"

That was Fendrich's voice. Tippy panicked. "No," he said.

"Yeah," Fendrich said, "I get it. But seriously, I'm just here to apologize. Can you let me in?"

Tippy sighed. "Alright," he said. "Door's unlocked."

"Huh, not opening it for me? Wow, I must've really messed up this time."

He walked in and sat on the couch. Tippy stood and looked down at him. "So," he said, "you're here to apologize."

Fendrich nodded. He didn't say anything.

"Well, I'm certainly ready to hear it."

"Give me a minute, this is hard for me."

"Hard for you," Tippy said. Then, louder, "Hard for _you?_ "

Fendrich seemed to realize his mistake. "I mean, obviously it's hard for you, too, I just –"

"No, I'm not done." Tippy jabbed a finger at him. " _You_ were the one who kidnapped Evelyn, continued to try and keep her captive when we came to rescue her, and it was one of _your hires_ who almost made me fall to my death. I don't care if this is hard for you, because you're the one in the wrong!"

"I know, alright?!" Fendrich snapped. "I know how badly I bungled this, and I'm trying to make up for it! Evelyn doesn't want to speak to me, fine, I'll accept that. She's a Sinclair now – fine! But I am not losing you, too."

"And why is that?" Tippy crossed his arms. "You didn't have a problem framing me for the kidnapping. Or tying me up in a closet."

"Because…" Fendrich ran a hand over his face. "Because…"

He fell silent. Tippy tapped his foot as the seconds dragged on and on.

"Because you're the only thing left I have of your mother."

Tippy let the words sink in and took a moment to appreciate their weight.

Fendrich didn't look at him. "In the grand scheme of things, we weren't together for that long," he said. "But I loved her. It's been over a decade since she died, and I still miss her. My stepdaughter – her daughter – is gone from my life. You're all that's left."

"I understand," Tippy said. "I have no intention to cut you out of my life, Fendrich."

Fendrich faced him with a frown. "Is there a 'but' coming?"

"What?"

"You know. Something you want from me."

Tippy looked away. "There's nothing I want from you," he said. "Just…"

Fendrich brightened up. "So there is something! Whatever it is, I can get it. Y'know, so long as it's something I can buy."

He sounded so sincere. Tippy took a deep breath. "Pay for my name change," he said.

"Wait, really? Again? What for?"

"I've come to realize that the identity I've built my life around…" Tippy picked at his collar. "…is no longer one that fits. I will stay as Tippy, but I would like to change my surname back to 'Freeman,' and, well, I can't justify spending that sort of money right now."

"Oh, sure, sure!" Fendrich stood up and took out his checkbook. "What's the filing fee, a hundred fifty? Hang on, you have all your documents to change, too. I'll give you two hundred."

A paltry sum, compared to the millions Fendrich earned with his business. "Thank you," Tippy said. A thought occurred to him. "I would like you to pay Daisy Lewis, too."

"Really? Alright. I guess she was pretty involved. Sure, I'll pay her." Fendrich handed him the check and laughed. "Wow! I'm glad that's over with. I guess I'll be going, now!"

Tippy nodded, calling upon all his self-restraint not to crumple up the paper. "Goodbye, Fendrich."

"Sure, sure. Bye, Tippy!"

He left. Tippy closed the door behind him and pressed his back to it. He looked at the check for two hundred dollars, read his stepfather's signature, and carefully put it aside. Emotion overwhelmed him. He pulled his hat down over his eyes and let the tears fall.

* * *

Harl was back to pick him up later that night. "Are you alright?" he asked when Tippy came out of the building.

Tippy smiled. "I'm better now that you're here."

"Oh. Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Nothing too bad. I'll tell you later."

He put his bag with the rest of Harl's stuff and climbed on the seat behind him. Harl glanced back at him before he started pedaling. "There's other stuff we should talk about, too," he said.

"Really? Like what?"

"What you told Evelyn."

A car honked as they rode by. Tippy reflexively grabbed Harl's waist. "What did I tell her? I don't remember the specifics."

"You know," Harl said. "I want to have that conversation. About us."

"Ah." Tippy smiled. "Yes, Harl, I return your feelings, and I would enjoy us being together in an official sense."

"What?" Harl swerved to avoid a pothole. "You can't just say that! We have to have the conversation!"

"Do you feel differently?"

"Of course not, Tippy, you know that!"

"Then I don't see the problem in keeping it at that."

"But what does it mean for us?" Harl asked. "Like… what can we do that we couldn't do before?"

Tippy moved to press his lips on the back of Harl's neck, only to jerk back when they went over a bump and Harl's head collided painfully with his nose. "Ow!"

"Sorry!" Harl yelped. "What were you saying?"

Tippy rubbed his nose. "Maybe we should wait until we get there."

Once at Harl's apartment, Harl unlocked the door and paused. "I should really get that spare key made," he said. "You gave me your spare. It's not fair if I can get into your apartment and you can't get into mine."

"Harl, do you really think I can't get your door open, locked or not?"

"Good point!" Harl laughed. "I still want to give you a key, though."

Inside, Harl showed Tippy where he could put his bag. "I guess we don't need the air mattress," Harl said. "I mean, if you still want to…"

"Only if it's alright with you," Tippy said. "I don't want to be a nuisance."

"You're not a nuisance, Tippy!" Harl beamed at him. "I like having you around, and not just because I can't sleep when you're not here."

"We… should probably work on that, relationship or not. It's not the most healthy situation. What if I end up spending the night at Evelyn's house, one of these days?"

Harl shrugged. "Maybe we can call each other and fall asleep on the phone?"

Tippy chuckled. "We'll worry about that when it happens, I suppose. Harl…"

Harl turned to look at him. Tippy stared into his eyes and thought back to their month in space, with each other as their only company. How the man he had considered to be an annoyance had become someone so important to him he couldn't imagine life without Harl at his side.

Harl tilted his head and smiled at him. "What is it, Tippy?" he asked.

"I love you, Harl."

Harl's cheeks turned pink and his small smile turned into a dopey grin. "Really?"

"Of course! I told you I returned your feelings, didn't I?" Tippy moved closer and gently took one of Harl's hands in both his own. "You said it to me," he said softly, "and I wanted to say it back. I love you, Harl. I know it wasn't easy, getting to this point, but I'm glad you're here with me."

"I love you too," Harl said, still smiling. You care a lot about the people important to you, and you don't give up on them. I'm glad I'm one of those people."

Tippy moved a hand and ran it through Harl's hair. Harl put his hands on Tippy's waist and pulled him closer. They stared at each other for a few moments longer, smiling at each other, before Tippy closed the distance between them in a kiss.

There was no utopia waiting for him. Despite the ache he still felt at the loss of Paradoors, Tippy was starting to see the good things about this world. He had Evelyn and her children. He had Duke, Daisy, Hank and Betty, other friends and people who cared about him. And he had Harl, who loved him, and who he wanted to stay with for years and years to come.

It would be enough.

**THE END**


End file.
